Too Great A Leap
by Lord Cellytron
Summary: PRIS. The conclusion of the episode The Rangers' Leap of Faith comes to a decidedly different climax, and Astronema's worlds come crashing together.
1. An Order

**A/N: **It's safe to say that "The Rangers' Leap of Faith" was my favorite episode of Power Rangers in Space for a lot of reasons. It never fails to make me cry, it never fails to put me on the edge of my seat, and it's always worth another viewing based on the fact that I always notice something new. It's kind of never the same episode twice.

I recently viewed the episode again, and like a bolt of lightning, an idea struck me. If I believed in muses, I guess you could say that at that moment, someone sort of tapped me on the shoulder and said,

"Hey, Celly, what if, when Astronema asked Ecliptor to come with her to safety, instead of him saying no and doing the honorable, self-sacrificing thing, he DID go with her??"

The gears began turning inside my wee noggin, and I realized that could be a fantastic opportunity to explore both sides of Astronema/Karone. Both of her worlds literally colliding. No choice but to confront the demons on both sides.

This fic begins toward the end of "TRLoF", and then veers off in its own direction. I'm determined not to uproot canon, however.

Please let me know what you think of this fic. :)

----------------------------------------------------

"You... traitor!"

Astronema turned, seemingly in slow motion, and her eyes filled with terror.

Darkonda had survived. Of course he had; it took more than a simple knock to the ground to eliminate a warrior of his caliber. She'd barely stunned him; truly, she was fortunate that he hadn't recovered more quickly. She'd had adequate time to free the Rangers and take care of a few confused Piranhatrons before he made it to his feet.

Ironic, she realized, that her last moments on this mortal plane consisted of a technical evaluation of her use of time in betraying the United Alliance of Evil. After all, in some strange way, it was just another mission to her.

Granted, it had been one of the most important missions of her life. She briefly wondered what Ecliptor would think, but quickly put him out of her head. No good could come of dwelling on him now.

Was there time to run? She looked behind her at the Rangers, who, she was certain (though their faces were obscured by their helmets), had come to similar conclusions. No time to run. No PLACE to run.

She panted, both out of exhaustion and her sudden knowledge that she was about to die.

Darkonda raised his sword.

_I tried_, she thought, closing her eyes. _I tried_.

She felt a hand on her arm. _Andros._

_Andros. Brother... I want to see you, one more time._

She opened her eyes and started to turn toward him, when she was suddenly blinded by a brilliant green flash. She threw her arm over her eyes, and felt someone from behind her trying to push her to the ground.

An explosion, then, which caused her ears to ring and her head to spin.

A chorus of screams greeted her ears when she first regained her senses. The mechanical whines of the Quantrons and the Piranhatrons pulsed all around her in a chaotic, patternless roar. The Rangers were assessing the damage to their teammates.

She opened her eyes and tried to blink away the bright blue spots in her line of vision. The Rangers had suddenly fallen silent, and they were all looking in the same direction; toward a small cluster of bushes.

Yes. A moment later, she heard it, too. Heavy footsteps. The sound of clanking metal. Startled Piranhatrons emitting angry, robotic curses.

And, above all of it, his voice.

"Get out of my way, you tin monkeys!"

She felt her blood run cold, and then, all at once, there he was.

And all at once, he was all there was.

"Ecliptor!" she cried, unable to keep the girlish, (once disgustingly) human joy out of her voice.

He saw her, then, and, visually confirming that she was safe, he allowed himself to collapse to his knees.

She was next to him before he even hit the ground, and for half a second, they reassumed their traditional postures; he kneeling in service before the feet of his princess, she standing tall and dignified.

And, then, she, too, fell to her knees before him. The significance of the gesture was not lost on the injured cyborg, and he slowly and painfully met her gaze.

She was breathless, perspiring. One hand flew to her mouth to stifle an untoward burst of emotion. The other, she tenderly placed on Ecliptor's shoulder.

The humiliated Piranhatrons were all around them, now hungry for vengeance after being shoved aside like so much refuse; and the Power Rangers began fighting them back. Astronema was only vaguely aware of the impending danger as she caught her breath, and finally spoke, in a reverent tone; one which surprised Ecliptor greatly. He had never heard her speak in such a way, to anyone.

"Ecliptor, you saved my life... again!"

He said nothing, and she suddenly returned to her senses.

"Come on," she said, taking his arm and helping him to his feet.

"No," he said suddenly, with effort. He made a small gesture of pushing her away. "You must go. Dark Specter will be back for you."

Her eyes widened, and she looked at him, aghast.

"No!" she cried in horrified disbelief. She grabbed his arm and pulled him close to her. "I can't leave you like this!"

"Get going," he reassured her, pulling away with some difficulty. "I'll survive."

She looked him over quickly. His back had been torn wide open, somehow, and there was hardly an inch of his body that didn't have either exposed circuits or ominously fizzling wires. She shook her head.

"No..." she said, shaking her head, her voice thick.

"Karone," Andros said suddenly, putting his hands on her shoulders with firm but gentle urgency. She turned and looked at him, and for a moment, it was just like he was looking backward in time, at the little girl she'd been before she was kidnapped. Every bit of malice, every impure, darkly adult thought in the woman's mind had been replaced with an expression of horror in the face of crudely defined injustice.

"No," she said, quietly, insistently. "No! No! I let Darkonda take away everything I ever cared about once. I'm not going to let him do it again."

She turned back to her wounded second-in-command, and shook her head.

"You're coming with us."

"Astronema..." Ecliptor said, looking behind him at the army of Quantrons who had been alerted to the situation, and who now had their former Princess in their sights.

"N-Now! That's an order!" she barked, her voice cracking. "Now, can you walk?" She didn't give him time to answer, and instead slipped her shoulders under his arm. "We have to be fast."

"Princess, you mustn't…"

"Shut up."


	2. Perhaps God Listens

"Come on! Come on! Come on!"

The Rangers raced, with long, desperate lunges, toward the door to the Astro Megaship.

"Karone!" Andros shot a series of blasts at the Piranhatrons behind Astronema and Ecliptor, who were trailing at least fifty feet behind the Rangers. "We have to hurry!"

"Princess, you must go on. Leave me," Ecliptor said.

"No. Stop saying that," Astronema snapped.

"Princess..."

"Be quiet! We're going to make it."

Andros held out his hand.

"Let me help."

Ecliptor weakly pushed Andros' hand away.

"I don't need any help from you."

Andros and Astronema looked at each other.

"Karone, you go ahead," Andros said quietly. "We'll be right along. I'm stronger than you are, it'll go faster."

Astronema stopped, and looked at the two men apprehensively. Ecliptor was unable to argue with the Red Ranger, he had the princess' safety in mind. He nodded to Astronema.

"Go."

She looked at the Megaship, and then back at her brother and Ecliptor.

"Hurry," she said. "Hurry."

She then looked backward at the armies in pursuit; once her faithful allies. Once a group of mindless drones who would have done anything she commanded.

In a final act of defiance, she raised her staff and fired a large blast of energy at the Piranhatrons. A powerful explosion destroyed several on contact, and stunned the majority of the rest.

She nodded to her brother and Ecliptor and ran into the ship.

As they slowly staggered the short distance together, Ecliptor looked over at the Red Ranger and snarled with disdain.

"You're a fool."

"Let's not get into all this right now, okay?" Andros said hurriedly.

"You are a fool. Your arrogance is going to get her killed."

Andros whirled his head around to meet the red eyes of the cyborg.

"What are you talking about?"

"You believe you can kidnap the Princess of Darkness out from under Dark Specter's nose and get away with it. He will stop at nothing to destroy her. She will not be safe with your team," he practically spat. "Dark Specter will tear you apart piece by piece to get to her. And when he does-"

Andros shook his head.

"I'd sooner die than let anything happen to her."

"You WILL die!"

"...And," Andros finished, "I know you would, too. We'd both give our lives for her, right?"

Ecliptor looked away and said nothing.

"Right," Andros answered himself. "Nothing is going to happen to my sister. Nothing."

"Your lips to God's ears," Ecliptor said suddenly.

"What?"

"An old human expression."

They arrived at the Megaship, and Andros pushed Ecliptor up the ramp and fired another series of shots at the Piranhatrons. TJ was manning the controls, and Andros signaled to him to close the hatch.

"DECA, get us out of here!" TJ ordered as he keyed in the command to close the hatch.

The seven of them arrived on the bridge, where Ashley had already taken her position at the helm.

"Course?" she asked Andros.

"Set a course..." Andros glanced at Astronema and Ecliptor and knew Earth was out of the question. "Away from here."

Ashley picked up on the urgency in his voice and set a course for the nearest uninhabited planet.

"They're not pursuing us," Carlos reported, taking off his helmet and laying it on the floor beside his station.

"Somehow, that's not much comfort," Andros sighed. He took off his own helmet and took a moment to compose himself before he turned to look at his sister and her guardian. Ecliptor was leaning against the wall, and Astronema had her hand on his shoulder.

"Karone, are you okay?" Andros asked her.

"I'm fine."

"What about… you?" Andros asked Ecliptor.

He didn't answer, and Astronema sighed.

"If we were…" she looked at Andros sheepishly, and lowered her eyes, "On the Dark Fortress, the Quantrons would repair him. But, here…"

Alpha chose that moment to approach them cautiously.

"If I may make a suggestion…" he said, clearly afraid.

Andros frowned at the robot.

"What is it, Alpha?"

Alpha made a synthetic sound that closely resembled a human clearing his throat.

"Well, being that I'm a robot myself, I know quite a bit about how we're made and how we work. Perhaps I could be of some assistance."

Astronema's eyes widened and she nodded to Ecliptor hopefully.

He eyed the smaller robot warily, and then looked at Astronema.

"I do not require assistance from that… thing. I can repair myself. Red Ranger, where is your engine room?"

Andros hesitated, and looked back at the other Rangers.

It was Cassie who came forward with a smile with very little apprehension in it.

"I'll show you."

Astronema looked at Cassie quizzically, and the Pink Ranger took a deep breath and nodded.

"I think we'd all feel better if Alpha and I went with you. Me and Astronema can talk about girl stuff while you guys do the repairs."

Astronema whispered something to Ecliptor, and he sighed and deferred to Cassie.

Andros caught her arm as she passed him.

"Cassie, let me go."

"No, she knows you trust her. I just want to show her that _we_ trust her, too."

She smiled brightly at Alpha, Astronema and Ecliptor, and stepped inside the Megalift.

"Engine Room, DECA."


	3. Center of Absolute Morality

"So, what exactly do you have to do?" Cassie asked Ecliptor as they stepped into the Engine Room. "Sorry, I have to ask. Andros would kill me if I broke his ship."

Astronema smiled almost imperceptibly. Ecliptor grunted with annoyance.

"I must siphon a small quantity of your engine power in order to initiate my auto-regeneration process."

Cassie nodded, quietly impressed. _So that's why he's able to show up to kick our butts so often, _she realized.

"Uh, alright, then. Alpha?"

"Way ahead of you, Cassie. Right this way," Alpha said, holding out his hand to Ecliptor. As expected, he did not take Alpha's hand, and the smaller robot shrugged.

"Well, hey, no reason for all of us to stick around, is there?" Cassie asked Astronema with forced cheerfulness. "How about if we just wait outside?"

Astronema looked at Cassie incredulously, but said nothing.

The two women exited the Engine Room, and Cassie sighed and leaned up against the doors, stretching her arms in front of her.

Astronema took a few tentative steps toward the Pink Ranger, and frowned.

"What?" Cassie asked.

"I'm surprised you trust him," Astronema said, one eyebrow raised. "I thought you'd think this was a trap."

"Well, it's not, is it?"

Astronema shook her head.

"Then, see? Nothing to worry about." Cassie smiled. "I just hope you're telling the truth; I'm way too tired to fight anymore. I could just fall asleep right here."

She yawned and slid down against the wall into a seated position. She stretched her legs out in front of her and reached for her toes.

Astronema awkwardly continued to stand, and Cassie let out a little laugh.

"Come on, sit down. You must be tired, too."

Astronema involuntarily took a step back and bit her lip. Cassie sighed. Becoming Astronema's friend was going to be much harder than she'd thought.

She heard Alpha speaking in his usual cheerful manner, and a garbled counter by the increasingly irritated Ecliptor. She smiled and shook her head.

"Somehow, I don't think they're gonna come out of this best friends."

Astronema looked at her, confused.

"You know. Those two," Cassie clarified, pointing at the door.

"Oh." Astronema said no more.

It was Cassie's turn to bite her lip, and she sighed.

"Look, Ast—Karone, I'm sorry."

"Why?" Astronema asked.

"I… I guess you're not in the mood for jokes."

"I suppose not," Astronema said quietly.

Cassie looked down one hall, then the other. Time was passing excruciatingly slowly, and she noticed that Astronema's gaze kept shifting from the floor, to the door of the Engine Room, back to the floor.

"You guys…" Cassie said, clearly her throat awkwardly. "You guys must be close, huh?"

"Close?" Astronema asked, her eyes narrowing.

"Yeah. I mean, you and him."

Astronema paused.

"I-I suppose so. I've known him ever since…" she trailed off. "For years, my very first memory was of him."

"Yeah? That's… that's good."

Astronema frowned.

"Good, I mean, that you had someone that you were friends with."

"Friends…" Astronema said the word as if she'd never heard it before. She silently repeated it to herself a couple times, and gave Cassie a strange look. "No. Not friends. More than that. And… less than that. He's the only one who's ever really understood me. The only one who understands what I am, and… what I'm not."

She looked at Cassie as if to gauge the other woman's interest. Cassie was nodding; a thoughtful look on her face, and Astronema took that as her cue to continue.

"Where I grew up, you couldn't trust anyone, no matter who you were. I was so young, and I had to learn to fight just to survive. Honestly," she gave a strange, humorless laugh, "I was so clumsy, I ran my training staff into a door once and couldn't get it out. I was hopeless, but he taught me how to stay alive. For so long, it was like… we were alone in the whole universe. Just me and him."

"It must have been lonely," Cassie whispered. "There wasn't anyone your own age?"

"My own age?"

"No kids to play with?"

"No…" Astronema frowned, a mostly forgotten memory playing at the very edge of her mind. "I don't… I don't think so."

"Boy, and here I get lonely in the bathroom. I'm always talking to the girl in the stall next to me. Usually she thinks I'm crazy. Sometimes I wonder if the conversation is livelier in the men's room."

Astronema blinked, confused. Cassie sighed, realizing she'd done it again.

"Look, Karone… I'm so sorry you had to go through all that. I can't even imagine it… not having any friends."

"There are more important things than having friends."

Cassie was stunned into silence, and Astronema suddenly felt worried.

"Aren't there?"

"I don't know," Cassie said earnestly.

The two were silent again, and Cassie leaned her ear against the door. She wasn't able to make out any of the conversation, but she still heard Alpha cheerfully prattling on.

"Jeez, he really saved our butts back there, didn't he?" she asked, unable to suppress a strange, highly uncomfortable feeling of reluctant awe. It was actually a rather disgusting emotion, one laced with unwanted vulnerability, and she instinctively crossed her arms across her chest in a gesture of self-preservation.

Which part of her self she as preserving was hard to pinpoint exactly; the idea that not just one, but two of her mortal enemies were in her territory now was difficult enough to reconcile, even without the underlying truth that she was now indebted to them as comrades in arms.

She still had her preconceived notions of good and evil. Good is good forever, evil can never become good. While she was more often willing to give others the benefit of the doubt than the rest of her teammates, it was still a fact that she had distrusted Astronema. It came naturally to her to distrust Astronema. Astronema was one person who did not deserve the benefit of the doubt. Of this, she had been unquestionably certain.

As she hugged herself in the Megaship corridor that evening, with a self-proclaimed mission to prove to her arch nemesis that there were no hard feelings, she realized that the part of her self she was failing to protect was her center of absolute morality.

It made sense. Cassie was a Power Ranger. A soldier fighting a war. What good can come of a soldier who thinks of his enemy as human? At war, there must be absolutes. Absolute righteousness, absolute evil.

_Absolute evil,_ Cassie thought, cocking her head at the supposed embodiment of said evil. Not only were they both human females of the same species and approximate same age, but with some work, they could actually be friends.

But it was a slippery slope, Cassie knew. She was on the verge of trusting Astronema, and she found herself feeling the first pangs of grudging admiration for Ecliptor. But they were the exception to the rule; most of the other monsters that she had fought were not worthy of the same consideration.

…Were they?

Astronema clearly appreciated the sentiment, in any case; and Cassie relaxed as she saw a genuine, albeit tiny smirk cross the blue-haired woman's lips.

"Yeah," she said slowly. "I guess so."

Cassie cocked her head and peered at Astronema.

"Must be where you learned it," she said suddenly.

Astronema was taken aback, and she shook her head vehemently.

"No… I didn't save anybody."

Cassie couldn't help but be touched by Astronema's earnest self-deprecation. It stirred oddly maternal feelings within her, and she was struck with a desire to build the young woman up a little. Just to see what happened.

"Really? Because... I happen to know at least five people who beg to differ on that. And I'm one of them."

A pained look crossed Astronema's face.

"Don't say that. It's my fault-"

"It wasn't your fault!" Cassie cried suddenly. "You were tricked, just like the rest of us!"

"But… I almost got you all killed."

"You didn't know."

"No," Astronema admitted. "I... I really didn't."

Cassie nodded. She uncrossed her arms, and took a shaky breath. The bravado was gone now; the false cheerfulness and the awkwardness that followed. She met the other woman's eyes.

"Everything bad is always _somebody's_ fault. But what good does it do to dwell on that? I think… what's important is that we all got out of there alive, thanks to you guys."

Astronema smiled, then. A genuine smile.

"It really... felt good. I'm glad I was... able to help." She shook her head. "I really am."

Cassie nodded.

"I know you are."

Astronema nodded, too, and took another step closer to the Pink Ranger. She opened her mouth, not necessarily to speak, though if words should have happened to escape from between her lips, she had no intention of stopping them.

The doors suddenly opened, and Cassie jumped. Alpha and Ecliptor stood in the doorway. The simplicity of the gentle mood was suddenly complicated, the moment was broken, and Astronema's lips clamped shut.

"All finished!" Alpha announced happily.

"What, already?" Cassie asked, scratching her head and stretching in a manner that she hoped appeared nonchalant. "That was fast. How'd it go?"

"Quite well! I must say, Ecliptor, you really are quite the marvel of technology!" Alpha said. "I mean, for a bad guy."

Cassie stood up and smiled at Astronema, hoping that they could share a grin at the robot's humorous remark. The cold, deliberately emotionless look on the other woman's face disintegrated Cassie's smile, and for a moment, she almost forgot that a minute ago, she had so warmed to this girl. Whereas before, she knew she'd been looking into the eyes of Karone, now, Karone was nowhere to be found. Astronema had eclipsed her. Completely.

Ecliptor stepped toward Astronema purposefully, and Cassie realized she was reaching for her morpher.

"Princess, I must speak to you immediately," Ecliptor said. He turned to Cassie. "Alone."

Astronema heard the urgency in his voice, and she looked at Cassie with an inadequate facsimile of humanity on her face.

Cassie swallowed, and tried to plant a smile on her face.

"Oh, uh, sure. If, uh, you guys need to be alone. Um... why... why don't you guys go to my quarters? There's so much laundry piled up by the door, it's practically soundproof. Just don't step on the pile of CDs."

Astronema looked at the floor.

"Where are these… _quarters_?" Ecliptor asked, condescension dripping from his every word.

Cassie allowed a flicker of "Don't mess with me, Buddy" pass over her face, and she made a show of putting her morpher back in her pocket.

"Megadeck 4, third door on the left. The door is covered with stickers, you can't miss it. Come on, I'll show you."


	4. Rules of Conduct

Cassie had not overstated the messy condition her room was in; if anything, she'd failed to properly warn them about the dangers of falling piles of clothing. Astronema took one step in the room and set off a veritable avalanche, including a bright magenta taffeta prom dress and a pile of sheet music.

"Oh, man," Cassie muttered, biting her lip. "Uh, yeah, if you could just not step there, either... Oh, no way! Is that my mix tape?! I've been looking for that forev-"

Her expression stiffened, and she stepped back into the hall.

"Uh, yeah, just... I'll be... okay. Uh... yep. Oh, um... oh, no, never mind. Just... you know, I'll be outside-"

The doors closed in her face. Astronema looked around the room and let out a tense little half-laugh. She quickly sobered and sat down on the edge of Cassie's unmade bunk, crossing her legs. A large pink stuffed giraffe took up the rest of the bed, and she shoved the toy into the floor with annoyance.

"Humans and their…" she trailed off as she realized that Ecliptor was leaning on his sword, his head low. She felt an unfamiliar rush of compassion race through her veins, and she moved to the edge of the bed.

"Ecliptor, come on! Sit down; you're still not fully regenerated."

Ecliptor didn't move. He raised his head only enough to look into Astronema's newly childlike eyes. Her expression pained him deeply, and he shook his head, looking away.

"That… wouldn't be appropriate," he said coldly. Too coldly.

Astronema rolled her eyes, scoffing.

"Don't be ridiculous. Forget about what's appropriate! You're still hurt."

"I… cannot."

She sighed.

"After all we've been through, you're still so bound by your silly self-imposed rules of appropriate conduct," she said irritably. "Fine, then, I'll stand, too."

She did so, and put her hands on her hips, turning away from him. It was a childish, pouting gesture, one for which she expected to be immediately placated.

"We'll just stand here, then. Both of us. Until our legs fall off. As god is my witness, until our legs fall off, starting now!"

Ecliptor was aware of what she was doing, and he shook his head. A flash of affection for the child came over him, and he realized with a start that Astronema was entirely unaware that her behavior was no longer appropriate. That it would likely never be again. What she had done could not be erased by a simple "good word" to some higher-ranking individual. What she had done would never, ever be forgotten by Dark Specter. It was likely that her life would never be the same again, that what little childhood she'd had had been entirely blotted out with one simple stroke, and replaced with an unknown and unsafe adulthood.

That the girl could only remain naïve forever. That the girl could only remain safe inside her padded adolescence, her childish dreams.

That he could only make her safe.

"Princess..." Ecliptor said suddenly. Raw emotion was audible in his voice. "You should not have brought me here."

Astronema stopped dead. She was so taken aback by his words that she whirled back around to face him, her eyes wide and earnest.

"What are you talking about?! How could I have-"

"You have risked too much for my sake," Ecliptor said, hoping against hope that she would understand what he meant. That her childish selfishness would kick in once more, just enough, so that she would agree with him.

If only she would make it easy.

Astronema gave him a curious look, and she stepped over to him. Her normally seductive but unapproachable body language was nowhere to be found, Ecliptor realized; her usual sultry slink had been replaced with a strange kind of stride; she stood tall, she put her arms at her sides and she didn't shift her weight or jut out her slender hips.

When she spoke, she used the same tone that she had used down on the planet.

"How… can you say that?" she asked, shaking her head. "After what you did? Ecliptor, you've done nothing but take risks for _me_, from the day we met. I would have been dead ten years ago if it hadn't been for you."

Ecliptor avoided her gaze.

"You are my princess. It is my duty to protect you with my life," he said in what he hoped was a dismissive tone.

"But… your duty is to Dark Specter above all. You told me that once," she countered.

Ecliptor said nothing.

Astronema sighed, and rubbed her forehead, as if to coax her foggy memories out of hiding.

"You remember it, don't you?" she asked him suddenly."You remember when I met that boy on Aurius XII. That… human?"

Astronema shook her head as the details of a time long ago came flooding back into her consciousness. "I was... nine years old, wasn't I? Yes. Of course I was. And he… he was fourteen. Don't you remember? He said I was beautiful. He said he wanted to marry me. We killed his family, destroyed his city… and he didn't even know it was us. He thought I was some kind of... angel."

Ecliptor was still silent. Astronema felt an indignant desperation rising in her chest, and she grabbed his arm with both of her hands and drew him toward her the same way she had done on the planet. Tears, the source of which she did not know, stung the corners of her eyes, and she looked across at Ecliptor with such intensity that he was unable to look away, no matter how much he wanted to.

"Don't you remember?! He was the first human I'd seen in five years. I wanted to run away with him, don't you remember?! I wanted to marry him. Live on his farm. Be his wife. The stupid thing I wanted to do… And don't you remember what you said?! That if I went, and if I betrayed Dark Specter, you'd… you'd forget I ever existed?! That I could go, and ruin my life, and forget all of my training if I wanted to, you… you wouldn't stop me?"

Her light green eyes pierced his red glass optic sensors, and she bit her lip.

"You remember it?" she asked in a husky whisper.

"Yes," Ecliptor finally said.

"Yeah," she whispered. "But, I mean…I-I knew you didn't mean it. And I didn't want to marry him anyway. It's just that... he said he loved me. I hadn't heard anyone say that in so long that... I almost did it. Would you have stopped me?"

"I don't know," Ecliptor grunted.

"Of course you do. Of course you would have. Dark Specter… he doesn't mean anything to you. You only served him because he wanted you to train me. You only served him because you wanted to make sure I was safe. I know that."

"Princess, you must listen to me," Ecliptor said, breaching his own rules of conduct by putting his hand over hers. She was surprised by the gesture, and she looked into his eyes with confusion. "I can't stay here."

Astronema began to speak, but he shook his head to silence her.

"Dark Specter's forces know that I am with you. They'll be able to track my whereabouts. It's too dangerous for you to be with me."

"I-I don't care." Astronema said, her voice cracking. "I'm doing the right thing, and so are you."

Ecliptor pulled away and turned his back to her, another violation of the rules of conduct.

"No. If you can escape with the Power Rangers and go into hiding, you may survive. But if Dark Specter ever catches you, your penalty for treason will be… unimaginable."

"And what about if he catches you?" Astronema asked.

"I don't know," Ecliptor admitted.

Astronema looked at the floor and began to pace back and forth.

"I can't accept that," she said. "I won't accept it. Dark Specter is a fool, and he's wrong. He always has been. Ecliptor, with… with the Power Rangers' help, we can destroy him. I know we can."

"No," Ecliptor said, shaking his head. "No one can destroy Dark Specter."

"He's…" Astronema fumbled with her racing thoughts. "He's not infallible! He can be destroyed!"

"Perhaps," Ecliptor admitted.

"Yes!" Astronema cried.

"But what then? Dark Specter may be the monarch of evil, but when he is gone, do you imagine that his throne will lay vacant? No. Someone will resume his mission. You will be in even more danger."

"Then we'll destroy them, too. The Power Rangers… they're invincible! And with us, fighting alongside them, think of what they could do. What we could do!"

Ecliptor looked over his shoulder at his princess, and it pained him deeply to see her so idealistic. Idealism was an emotion he had always tried to discourage, for no one was more surprised to see the hand of death coming than one who was idealistic. Concrete goals based on vengeance for past wrongs was as close to idealistic as he'd ever seen her. It simply wasn't safe to be any other way.

"We shall do no such thing. You must go into hiding. It's the only way," he told her.

"Ecliptor, listen to me! I know we can do this! I'm certain of it, more certain than I've ever been about anything. But… we need you. _I_ need you!"

The simple admission struck them both, and Astronema shrank backward, a sad smile on her lips.

"I need you," she repeated. "I always have. It's always been just you and me. You… you can't break that up because you're afraid I'll get hurt. Maybe I will, maybe I won't, but I don't want to be alone."

Ecliptor half-turned, stunned into silence.

"I know," Astronema laughed humorlessly. "I wouldn't be alone. I'd be with the Power Rangers. I'd be with… my brother. But… how can they really understand me? How can they understand how I think? I think… if they knew the thoughts in my head, they'd hate me."

She suddenly forgot her vow to God, to stand until her legs fell off, and she sank down onto the edge of Cassie's bed.

"I can't believe I'm saying these things. Yesterday, I was… I was so sure…"

She shook her head and hugged her knees to her chest.

"Don't leave me," she whispered, like a child. "Don't."

Ecliptor silently approached the bed, everything inside him protesting. The girl who had never ceased to produce illogical responses inside him was producing the least logical response yet, and he was powerless to stop it.

_It's her life at stake. Not just her comfort level. If you stay, she will die,_ he told himself.

Her tears. Her childish position, on her enemy's bed, much less. Her honest, heart-wrenching words.

_Don't leave me._

_It's always been just you and me._

_I don't want to be alone._

_How can they understand me? _

_If they knew the thoughts in my head, they'd hate me._

_They._

_The Power Rangers._

_The Power Rangers who could never understand Astronema for what she was; could only see the "good" inside her, whether it was there or not._

_The Power Rangers who couldn't let an evil traitor into their midst._

_The Power Rangers who she clearly, clearly, did not really want to join._

"Perhaps," Ecliptor said softly, "There is another way."

Astronema's head snapped up, and her face filled with hope.

"Yes! Yes! Ecliptor, of course there is!"

"Perhaps…" Ecliptor sighed. "Dark Specter will forgive you."


	5. The Price of Happiness

He had said it so matter-of-factly that Astronema momentarily wondered if the events of the last several hours had all been a dream. As if asking Dark Specter's forgiveness was the only reasonable course of action. As if she hadn't defied her former master beyond all reparation.

_Perhaps Dark Specter will forgive you._

Once something so desirable; Dark Specter's favor. Once something to which to aspire above all else. Dark Specter's forgiveness was something so rarely given out, so rarely bestowed upon any but the most worthy of his servants.

With a shaky breath, she realized that until today, she had counted as one of the most worthy. And with a skipped heart beat, she realized that Dark Specter's forgiveness would be easier to obtain now than ever before, if she had the mind to chase it.

She was suddenly tired; so tired.

"What did you say?" she asked, slowly blinking. Hoping she had misunderstood.

"My princess," Ecliptor said gently, now keenly aware of her feelings, "Think of your position from Dark Specter's standpoint. You have gained the trust of your mortal enemies. You have infiltrated their base of operations in the name of friendship."

"No. Stop it," Astronema said, rubbing her eyes.

"The Power Rangers believe you to be their ally now. They have lowered their guard substantially. We could easily have access to their systems. Destroying them-"

"Ecliptor, _stop it!_" Astronema cried, her voice becoming shrill.

"-Would be no more difficult than terminating the life support systems. Self-destructing the ship, perhaps-"

"_Don't say that!"_

"Your hands would be clean. You wouldn't even need to look into their eyes in order to kill them. Dark Specter would believe it was all an elaborate ruse. I can almost guarantee your position would be immediately-"

"NO!"

"-Reinstated."

"NO!" Astronema was screaming now. "How can you even _think_ that?! What is the _matter_ with you?!"

The doors suddenly opened, and Cassie ran into the room, her morpher drawn. She got between the two of them and eyed Ecliptor warily.

"What's going on in here?" she asked, her eyes on Ecliptor, her voice gentle so it was apparent she was addressing Astronema.

"It is none of your concern, _Power Ranger_," Ecliptor said.

"It's okay," Astronema said, roughly wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. She stood up and crossed between Cassie and Ecliptor. "We're done. He's said what he needed to say."

"And everything's… okay?" Cassie asked, frowning.

Astronema turned to Cassie, and the look in her eyes was clearly expressing that everything was anything but okay.

"Yes. I need to talk to the Red—Andros."

Cassie blinked.

"Oh, uh… you do? Okay…"

Cassie was relatively certain she could trust Astronema to go find Andros and not cause trouble, but Ecliptor was another story.

Astronema quickly realized this, and she said in a dismissively authoritative tone,

"Ecliptor, wait for me in the Cargo Bay."

Cassie nodded nervously.

"I'll show you," she offered. "Andros is on the bridge, Karone. You remember where it was, right?"

"Yes," Astronema said, forgetting her newly learned manners and leaving without another word. Ecliptor watched after her, his head low.

After the doors closed, he stood up as straight as he was able, and regarded Cassie with indignant interest.

"You trust her alone on your ship?" he asked, his voice icy. "Perhaps you're a bigger fool even than your leader."

Cassie's eyes narrowed, and she raised her communicator to her lips, never taking her eyes off Ecliptor.

"TJ, meet me in the Cargo Bay. If I'm not there in five minutes, something will have happened."

"Understood," TJ's calm voice answered her.

"A necessary precaution, I'm sure," Ecliptor said, turning to leave.

"Keep your hands where I can see them!" Cassie exclaimed. "Slowly!"

She followed the cyborg down the corridor, occasionally barking out directions, until they arrived at the Megalift. Cassie's heart sunk; without Karone or Alpha, the idea of getting into the Megalift alone with Ecliptor was almost overpoweringly terrifying.

She tried to keep her face stoic, but a small, patronizing chuckle from Ecliptor made her realize that the fear in her was as plain as day.

"What are you laughing about?" she asked, aware that her lip was quivering.

"Your foolishness." He said no more.

In the Megalift, Cassie took a deep sigh and tried another approach.

"Look," she said, sighing and turning toward him. "Maybe we got off on the wrong foot. I don't want to fight you. And it's obvious Karone doesn't want us to fight, or she wouldn't have brought you here. Can't we just try and get along?"

"Get along?" Ecliptor spat. "I don't think so."

"Oh, come on, why not?"

He didn't answer her.

"Look, you really helped us out today."

"I didn't do it for you."

"Still did it. And it couldn't have been easy, either."

He said nothing.

"You know," Cassie said, thinking there was no way to mess things up any more than she already had, "I remember this time, when I was in third grade, and the teacher wanted us all to play baseball. I hated baseball, the ball always scared me when I saw it flying at me. I'd always do something dumb like duck and all the kids would get mad at me. All I ever wanted to do was write songs, but the teacher said we had to play baseball…"

She cleared her throat and continued.

"Anyway, I was in the outfield, trying to think of something to rhyme with 'aluminum', when all of a sudden, I hear this kid screaming 'Cassie! Cassie! Heads up!' and this baseball is coming flying right at me! And I just screamed bloody murder and put both my hands over my head to protect my face, and suddenly, everyone starts cheering. I caught the ball and won the game, and I didn't even know it!"

Ecliptor still said nothing.

"But, you know, I felt really dumb because, I didn't really catch the ball. I was trying to keep it from breaking my nose. So, later on, I went to the teacher and told her, but you know what she said?"

Silence.

"She said that sometimes, you can do everything wrong and still do the right thing. Like, it didn't matter that I was being a big weenie who was scared of a ball. The fact was, I caught the ball and I won the game. And, after that, I don't know. Baseball wasn't so scary anymore."

Still silence.

"Oh, you know what baseball is, right? It's where you take and you have a… a ball and a big… stick… well, you probably know what it is."

The Megalift arrived on the proper deck and the doors opened. Ecliptor automatically began to stride away, and Cassie, flustered, ran after him.

"Hey, you don't live here, you know!" she cried. "You've got to wait for me!"

He took a couple more steps, then stopped. Cassie let out an exasperated grunt and caught up to him. She had a strong feeling that he was toying with her.

They stood in silence, darkly regarding each other for a minute, then Cassie gestured forward.

"The Cargo Bay is around that corner. Let's go."

He continued walking in silence, and Cassie took in a sharp breath.

"You know, have you considered showing a little respect?" she asked suddenly.

Ecliptor stopped.

"Respect?" he asked. His tone was unreadable.

"Yeah. You know, some respect. You're the guest here."

"I do not simply show respect to those for whom I have none."

"Yeah? Maybe you should start."

"I don't think so."

Cassie saw TJ up ahead, and she nodded to him.

"Stop a minute," she said to Ecliptor. She raised her chin, set her jaw, and spoke with conviction.

"Look, I want you to know that I like Karone. I like her a lot. I care about her, and I hope she stays. She deserves to be happy, and I think… I think she could be, with us. I think she could be. But… I don't know about you. I'm not sure if you even know what happiness is."

She said it as a genuine statement of ignorance; punctuated it with a brief shrug.

"For Karone's sake, I don't want to fight. None of us want to make this any harder on her than it has to be."

"You say you want… peace, for her sake?"

"Yes."

"You don't realize that the very thing you desire for her sake can not be obtained _because_ of the fact that _you_ wish it to be so."

Cassie shook her head.

"What are you talking about?"

"How many innocent lives have been claimed during your battles with Astronema's forces?" Ecliptor asked.

"I… I don't know. Too many," Cassie admitted angrily.

"How many lives that weren't innocent? And, in the hour of death, is there really a difference?"

"What are you getting at?"

"Dark Specter will send his every force after you. He has weapons so powerful you cannot even conceive of them. He has allies that could rip you into pieces with a single glance. You will be under constant attack. Think of how many will die. And, you, who are supposed to be the guardians of the universe, will stand by and allow it to happen because you are so concerned about your enemy's _happiness_."

Cassie drew back, rage and indignation heavy upon her heart. TJ noticed her discomfort and approached them purposefully.

"Everything alright here?" he asked Cassie.

"I was simply informing the Pink Ranger that happiness has a price."

""And what would that price be?" TJ asked.

Ecliptor said nothing, and Cassie angrily keyed in a maximum level force field around the entire inside of the cargo bay.

"Get inside," she said, gesturing toward the doors. All attempts to sympathize with the cyborg were forgotten.

Ecliptor entered silently, the doors shut, and the force field initiated. Cassie sighed and rubbed her face with both hands.

"What did he say to you?" TJ asked, glancing backward at the doors.

"Nothing worth repeating."

"Where's Astronema?"

"She went to go talk to Andros." Cassie met TJ's eyes and shook her head sadly. "I think something's up."

She started to walk away, and TJ met her pace.

"You think it was a mistake to bring them onboard."

"I think he," Cassie said, pointing behind her, "was a mistake. He's the one who brainwashed her in the first place. There's nothing saying he won't do it again. I'm just afraid she'll listen."

"How did she seem?"

Cassie sighed.

"Almost human. I actually started to like her, but then he came back and she turned into a totally different person. She turned back into Astronema."

"I think it'd be a good idea, then, if we kept them apart."

"Yeah, that'll work for a while. But what then? We can't just leave him, can we? He's on our ship, and we're responsible for him."

"Unfortunately," TJ nodded.

"Karone trusts him," Cassie said, more to herself than anything. "There must be a reason."

"Or," TJ said thoughtfully, "Maybe she's afraid of him."


	6. It Could Be Your Own Fault

The Rangers didn't look up when Astronema entered the bridge. Each was deeply occupied with his or her duties, and the silence weighed heavily in the air.

She glanced at the backs of their heads; the Black Ranger's overgrown, wavy black hair, flattened down on top from the helmet; the Yellow Ranger's normally perfect, honey-colored shoulder-length bob; her brother's brown and golden streaks.

She took a shaky breath. They still weren't aware of her presence.

_They don't know I'm here._

They didn't know.

To either side of her were computer consoles. She took another breath, a different kind of breath. A deep, self-indulgent, life-giving breath. One so intense that she let out a rasping sound. A deep chill ran through her and she turned to one of the consoles.

Her entire disposition had changed in the second or so since she'd entered the bridge. Her expression darkened substantially, and a sadistic gleam shone in her eyes.

Another breath. More tentative, this one. She felt almost faint. Her head and her heart pounded in sync; one earth-shattering crash after another.

She didn't blink.

Thoughts raced through her head. Images. Words.

_It would be… so easy._

Another breath.

Another crash.

_They don't know I'm here. Why… do they have to be so stupid? _

_It could be… their own fault. _

_Why do they have to be so stupid?_

Another breath.

"Karone?"

_Andros._

Another breath.

Another crash.

"Karone?"

"Andros."

He was in front of her.

"Karone! What's the matter?"

His eyes. His eyes were on her. He would know.

Without realizing she was doing it, Astronema brightened her expression. She blinked, she slowed her breathing.

Did he know?

"Karone?"

He couldn't know.

"Andros."

The expression on his face was one of concern. A glance over at Ashley and Carlos showed similar expressions. A flicker of distrust ran over Carlos' face, and Astronema tried to smile.

"Sorry. I…"

"What is it?" Andros asked, his hand on her shoulder.

He didn't know.

"I…" she bit her lip. "I have to talk to you."

"S-Sure," Andros said.

"Right now."

Andros looked back at Ashley and Carlos, who glanced at one another.

"Sure, uh…" Andros led Astronema toward the Megalift. "I'll be right back."

"Hurry back," Ashley said, perhaps a little too coldly. After the Megalift doors had closed, she shook her head worriedly. "I wonder what that's all about."

"DECA," Carlos said, "Go onto high alert. Mute notifications."

DECA beeped in acknowledgment, and Carlos sighed.

"Let's hope I'm wrong."

They arrived in Andros' quarters, and Astronema was quietly amused at the differences between her brother's private space, and that of the Pink Ranger. There wasn't an article of clothing out of place, a speck of dust on the floor, or a trace of personal paraphernalia on any of the walls. The bed was neatly made, and the window shades were drawn.

Andros opened the shades and "let the stars in". The view was not new to either of them, yet they both took a moment to stare out into the black void of space.

"DECA, please increase illumination 45," Andros commanded. A soft, white light enveloped the room, and Andros walked over to his personal, rarely used Synthetron. The view of the stars was dimmed, and Astronema looked away. She almost wished Andros hadn't opened the shades. Seeing the passing of the stars only served to remind her of the passing of time. Time that was quickly running out.

"Would you like something to eat?" he asked her. "You liked the Carathian tea ice cream, didn't you? I could make some of that-"

"No, not right now," Astronema said hurriedly. "Andros, I have to talk to you."

"Sit down," Andros offered, gesturing at the bed.

A flash of annoyance rushed through Astronema, and she realized she knew how Ecliptor had felt; with something important that needed to be said, and someone always trying to stall with offers of refreshments and comfortable accommodations. It was a ridiculous human custom.

"Andros, we have to destroy Dark Specter," she said, putting her anger and impatience aside.

He froze, his hand in mid-air, still pointing at the bed.

"Don't… you even want to sit down first?" he asked dumbly.

"No."

Andros approached her gently.

"Karone, what's going on?" he asked.

She met his eyes, and said nothing. What _was_ going on? How could she explain it? With a skip of her heartbeat, she realized how deeply Ecliptor's words had struck her.

_Your hands would be clean. You wouldn't even need to look into their eyes in order to kill them._

_Their backs are turned._

_It's their own fault._

She swallowed, and willed herself to keep her eyes on Andros.

As long as she kept her eyes on him, she was Karone.

The second she looked away, she was Astronema.


	7. The Right Not To Run and Hide

She didn't speak. She only stared at him, a sober, hunted look in her eyes.

"Something must have happened," Andros surmised, turning away from her. Her hand shot out and gripped his arm with surprising force. He looked back at her, shocked.

She quickly let go and smiled sheepishly. She rubbed one hand with the other, as if trying to soothe an upset animal.

"It's only a matter of time before Dark Specter finds out what I've done. He may already know. He'll do everything he can to stop us."

"Karone," Andros said, and she cringed in anticipation of his reassuring, empty promises. "We're not going to let anything happen to you. We're going to protect you."

"Please, Andros. You've got to just listen. Ecliptor said… that he is traceable. Do you understand? He's traceable. No matter where we go, they'll find us."

Andros looked at the floor, and a worried frown crossed over his face.

"Alright. What do we do?"

"We have to…" Astronema looked away for a second, then quickly looked back. "We have to find Dark Specter before he can find us."

"What have you got in mind?" Andros asked.

"I've got to get back aboard the Dark Fortress."

Andros' head snapped up, and his face went pale.

"What?! No!"

"Andros, listen to me!" She kept his gaze the entire time, which added an unexpected layer of compassion to her speech. "We've been developing a weapon. An incredibly powerful weapon, powerful enough to destroy the earth."

Andros stared at her silently.

"It isn't finished yet, hasn't been tested, but… I think if I could get aboard the Dark Fortress, I could detonate it. But it wouldn't be enough to destroy him. He made sure of that. You'd all have to be there, ready to…" She swallowed. "To…finish it."

"I—I can't let you do that," Andros said. "You'd be putting yourself in danger just showing your face there."

"Not… not if…" she looked away, and this time, kept her gaze away. "…He thought I'd destroyed you."

Andros said nothing, and she made no attempt to explain herself. She kept her eyes low, veiled by her thick lashes.

She heard him breathing, and felt a smirk coming onto her lips.

_He doesn't see it._

"Karone…" he whispered suddenly, and the smirk was gone. She was in the process of looking up, when the doors opened and Cassie and TJ entered purposefully.

"Andros-" TJ said, then stopped when he saw Astronema. Cassie looked at the siblings with a weak smile.

"Karone," she acknowledged. Astronema barely nodded.

"What is it?" Andros asked dully.

"Well, it's…" Cassie shot Astronema an apologetic glance. "It's… him. Ecliptor."

"What is it?" Andros repeated.

"It's not really… we just thought… Karone, I'm really sorry, but…"

"Of course," Astronema said coldly. "You're worried about your ship. You think it was a mistake to bring him onboard."

"No," Cassie protested feebly. TJ shook his head, clearly agreeing with Astronema.

"Well, why shouldn't you be?" Astronema said with poorly veiled rage. She started to leave, but it was Andros' turn to take her arm.

"We'll both go," he said. "Thanks, you guys."

Cassie looked away, and TJ nodded soberly.

Astronema strode down the hall angrily, and Andros had to jog to keep up with her.

_Her moods are so erratic,_ he thought to himself. _It's like she's a different person every minute. _

"Karone," he said, a pleading note in his voice. "They didn't mean anything-"

"Don't make excuses for them if you feel the same way. You heard what I said, that he can be traced. You think he shouldn't be here."

"That's not how I feel," Andros said. "He's obviously important to you. That's good enough for me."

"Is it?" she asked.

"Of course. Karone-"

"Because, if it is-"

"It's not!"

They walked in silence for a moment.

"Karone-"

"What's it all for, Andros?" she asked. She had slowed her pace a great deal, and was running her hand along the wall like an impatient child.

"What… do you mean?"

"All of it. Fighting. Running. Hiding. Fighting to run. Fighting to hide. What is it all for?"

"I don't know. I think we're fighting for the right not to run and hide."

"Yes…" she said, her voice strangely hollow. She was overcome with weariness. The building fatigue was close to overpowering her, and she didn't want to take another step.

"Ecliptor… won't do anything unless I say so," she sighed, sadness thick in every word. "He won't do anything."

"Okay," Andros said, "But I still think we should check-"

"He won't do anything. He won't do anything."

She stopped walking and faced the wall. She took a deep, quavering breath, and shook her head.

"Karone?"

"I don't want to-" she breathed. "I want to sleep."

"O-okay-" Andros said. "Karone, are you alright?"

"I just want to sleep."

"Okay."

"Now!"

Her voice pierced his eardrums, and he cringed. The side of her speaking was clearly Astronema, and he quickly acquiesced.

"Okay, come on. "

He walked her back to his quarters and lay her down on his bed. She immediately curled into a fetal position, and didn't say another word to him.

"DECA," he said, his blood running cold, "Lower illumination thirty percent."

DECA complied, and the room grew dark. He heard her softly sigh, and then, she made no more sounds.

He slipped out into the hallway, his mind heavy with what had just transpired. It had all happened too fast to process, and he was left with a disgustingly empty feeling of dread as he tried to make sense of it all.

Karone, back on the Dark Fortress. Destroying Dark Specter.

Making him think she…

_She couldn't have meant…_

And the way she just stopped in the hall. It was almost like the idea of having to see Ecliptor was weighing her down.

_But, then, why was she so… insulted by what Cassie and TJ said? _

One thing was certain; Karone was not telling him everything.

With narrowed eyes, he made up his mind to go and see the cyborg for himself.


	8. Until Astronema Returns

_The Dark Fortress is just as they left it_; Darkonda mused as he glanced about the dimly-lit bridge. _Just as they left it; ill-equipped, filled with frivolities, and rank with the stench of failure._

They; Astronema and her traitorous lackey, had not been (truly, had never been) worthy of the Dark Fortress.

How it had enraged him, filled him with jealousy, to see the foolish young princess wasting Dark Specter's precious resources on one ill-fated battle after another; treating this wonder of technology as nothing more than a mere playground.

_Never again. _

"All a game, wasn't it, Astronema?" Darkonda laughed, breaking the silence. A pair of Quantrons looked up at their new master, and he waved them away dismissively. "How unfortunate you had to learn the hard way that someone always has to lose."

He sniffed the air, and coughed as he detected a trace of a cloying, feminine scent. Even in the princess' absence, her sickening human essence remained. Possibly always would. Humans had such a habit of stinking a place up.It was probable that no amount of stadanga root would fully eliminate the stench.

"Oh, well, I suppose conquerors can't be choosers." He looked around idly, trying to decide whether to have Astronema's Quantrons sent off for recycling and replaced with the far deadlier Piranhatrons, or to just take his chances with the silvery foot soldiers.

"You, you couldn't hit the broad side of a barn at ten paces, could you?" he asked one of the Quantrons.

The Quantron buzzed unintelligibly.

"I didn't think so. There are going to be some changes around here. And the first thing, I think, is going to be-"

"DARKONDA!"

The flame-colored monster whirled around, and found himself staring directly into the deep, fiery red crevices that served as the eyes of the monarch of all evil, Dark Specter.

"Ah, Dark Specter, my great and all-powerful master!" Darkonda enthused, bowing slightly. "As always, I am your humble servant, awaiting your command!"

"Astronema and Ecliptor have defected to the side of good," Dark Specter roared. "It is just as you predicted; she has gone to be with her brother."

"If only I had not been right," Darkonda said with mock sorrow. "The loss of Astronema is a great one indeed for the United Alliance of Evil."

"Darkonda," Dark Specter continued, "You will command the Dark Fortress."

_Yes._

_Finally._

"A wise decision, Your Majesty! I humbly accept!" Darkonda said happily, bowing. "And, I can assure you, my very first goal, as commander of the Dark Fortress, will be to track down Astronema and Ecliptor, and make them pay for betraying you!"

"You will do no such thing!" Dark Specter spoke with a note of exasperation. "You, Darkonda, will command the Dark Fortress… but _only_ until Astronema returns!"

"W-What?!" Darkonda cried, indignant disbelief strong in his voice. "Astronema?! That traitor?!"

"Yes."

Darkonda turned his back to Dark Specter, rapidly becoming overcome with fury and panic.

"Darkonda, you dare show your back to me?!" Dark Specter bellowed.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty. I thought I heard a sound," Darkonda said, his voice cracking. He turned back around after composing himself.

"Do you object to my orders?"

"No, of course not, Dark Specter," Darkonda said meekly. "It's just that… Astronema and Ecliptor have openly defied you. They have proven that loyalty means nothing to them. If they would willingly side with the Power Rangers, do you really believe it is wise to allow them back?"

"I have plans for them," Dark Specter explained. "I intend to ensure that they never stray loyalties again. You will await my orders."

"Agreed," Darkonda said, as the viewscreen went blank. "For now."

He turned back around, and paced thoughtfully.

"So, he wants them back, does he? He might be an even bigger fool than I'd previously thought possible! Expecting me to sit around here, waiting for them to come back and make a fool of me again? No."

A Quantron approached him cautiously, and he let out a bitter laugh.

"Astronema and Ecliptor should have been destroyed on that planet. But, I suppose a little delay is nothing in the great scheme of things. You!" he pointed at the Quantron, "Scan the galaxy for traces of our little friends. I want to know exactly where they think they're going."

The Quantron hesitated, then complied.

"Forgive me, Dark Specter, but I'm doing this for your own good!"


	9. Instincts

Ecliptor was standing in a far corner of the Cargo Bay, leaning against the wall perpendicular to the entrance. He had taken a very casual stance, looking almost like a bored teenager. Of course, he was likely standing that way due to his extensive injuries, but it was nonetheless strange, to Andros, to see the normally mighty warrior looking like a high schooler waiting for his bus.

Andros approached him cautiously. Cassie and TJ had simply said "There could be trouble". Neither of them had been able to pinpoint exactly what kind of trouble, but all three of them had come to the same conclusion; the conversation that Karone had had with Ecliptor had most likely not done either of them much good.

_What did you say to her?_ Andros thought angrily. _What did five minutes alone with you convince her to do?_

Ecliptor was looking in Andros' direction now. Though his facial expression never changed, Andros was well aware that there was contempt in his red eyes.

"Why have you come?" Ecliptor asked.

"I just talked to my sister," Andros said, taking an assertive, dominant stance.

_My sister. She's my sister. You took her away from me, now I'm taking her back._

"I want to know what you've told her," he continued.

"I have told Astronema many things. You'll have to be more specific."

"You know very well what I'm talking about! You told her that the only way to escape is for her to pretend to be evil again, didn't you?!"

"No."

"Liar!" Andros snapped, turning his back to Ecliptor angrily. "I didn't bring you on to my ship so that you can corrupt her again! She's my sister, and she's good, no matter what you're making her believe."

"The only thing I have _made her believe_ is that she is not safe with you. And this is the truth. Is it not, Red Ranger?"

"No, it's not. I intend to protect her and keep her safe from Dark Specter, no matter what it takes!"

"You will fail."

"I won't."

"You will." Ecliptor paused. "She has most likely told you that I am equipped with a tracking device."

"Is it true?" Andros asked, turning back to him. "Or did you just say that to frighten her into doing what you want?"

Ecliptor was silent, and he suddenly approached Andros, sword in hand.

"You know _nothing_ of what I _want_!" he snapped.

"I think I have a pretty good idea," Andros retorted.

"What I _want_ is for her to get as far away from _you_ as she can, before you pollute her mind any further."

"Before _I _pollute her mind?! How dare you?!" Andros cried. "You're the one who turned her into this… _thing_! You're the one who stole her away from her own family and made her believe we were all dead just so she'd listen to you! You made a little girl believe you cared about her so she wouldn't see you for the monster you really are!"

Ecliptor was silent, shaking with rage. Andros realized he might have gone too far, but he stood his ground.

"Now, I'm going to tell you, right now-"

"You will tell me nothing," Ecliptor said in a dangerous whisper. "You know absolutely nothing of what Astronema is. Only I truly know her, and only I truly care about her."

"She's my sister!"

"She _was_ your sister. What she is now is something entirely different. I have made sure of that. I have made certain that only the merest essence of the girl you knew remained within Astronema. You may see flashes of it now, but as time goes on, she will revert to her instincts, and her instincts are pure evil. She will wish to destroy you, if only because she has been programmed from childhood with that desire."

"She remembers a time before that. And she knows that what you told her was a lie!"

"Knowing and believing are two different things. She may know it's a lie, but she's believed it was true for so long-"

"I am going to get through to her! But if you're going to be here, telling her these things…" Andros trailed off.

"I won't be here. I intend to leave as soon as I possibly can." Ecliptor glanced at Andros. "Alone."

"Alone?" Andros raised an eyebrow. "I thought you said you wanted Karone to get away from us."

"Indeed."

"Then…"

"She has chosen her path. I can not force her to do what she refuses to do. If she will not repent to Dark Specter, then she will be on her own."

Andros shook his head disbelievingly.

"You're really going to let her go?"

"I can not stop her."

"No. You can't."

"If you truly believe you can protect her, and if you truly believe you can reach the goodness inside her, then I invite you to try. Only be warned that you will fail, and you will likely fall as a result of this."

Andros was silent for a moment.

"Where… where will you go?" he asked.

"How is that any of your concern?"

"Karone… might like to know."

Ecliptor shook his head.

"She mustn't know. She will only endanger herself. Again."

Andros nodded soberly.

"You know… you say that her instincts are pure evil… but, if that's true, why did she care so much about helping you? You said yourself it was too dangerous, but she did it anyway."

"…Yes."

"Why?" Andros asked.

"I do not know."

"Maybe you do. Maybe you taught her that."

"No."

"Then how do you explain it? If what you said is true, that there's no good left in her, then why did she risk her life for you? For all of us?"

Ecliptor could not explain it.

Andros started to leave, but, with a sigh, turned back.

"I can never forgive you for what you've done. Not just to her, but to my entire family. My planet. My friends. You've taken away things that can never be replaced. You've hurt people I love, and I don't even know how you could begin to make up for it."

He shook his head resignedly.

"But I think… we've all sacrificed too much already. And it's true that the only reason my sister is still alive is because of you. I do believe you care about her, and I believe that she wouldn't want to see you die for her sake. We'll think of something. You don't have to leave."

He strode out into the hall without another word.


	10. Just a Child

_She stood on the bridge of her small, cramped battle fortress, and gaped in disbelief at the view screen in front of her. The Quantrons (prototypical robotic foot soldiers that rarely knew enough not to walk into walls, let alone hold their own in serious combat) buzzed hypnotically as they occupied themselves with landing the ship on the planet._

"_This… is the place?!" Her twelve-year old voice reached an unsettling pitch as she expressed her indignation. _

"_Barthos XVIII," Ecliptor confirmed, glancing down at his station. Then, as a gentle reminder: "As per Dark Specter's orders."_

_A barren planet stood before them, illuminating the view screen with its blinding white sands and cloudless atmosphere. Seventeen hours prior, as Astronema had been making her final preparations to compete in the United Alliance of Evil's great trials on Colonius VII, Ecliptor had interrupted her training with an urgent message from Dark Specter himself._

"'_Report to Barthos XVIII at once! Do not question my orders; the reasons will become clear to you upon your arrival!'" Dark Specter had roared, and Astronema had hardly had time to wipe her brow before she was hustled aboard her private vessel and subsequently told, a number of times, that Dark Specter had honored her above all others by granting her the privilege of this mission._

"_This can't be right!" she now spat, stalking around the bridge. Her gait was still very youthful, and a bit gawky. She had grown seven inches in less than a year, and adolescence was heavy upon the young princess. Human hormones, coupled with her obsessive desire to rise to be Dark Specter's second in command by the time she reached fourteen years, caused her to see the unpromising mission as an insult. _

_Her high heels clicked around the steel floor, and Ecliptor shook his head. _

"_My Princess-"_

"_What could POSSIBLY be on this wasteland of a planet that Dark Specter thinks is more important than my competing in the trials?!" She expelled a pouting breath, and turned her back to the screen. "Reverse course. I'm not going to waste my time with this! Dark Specter will thank me once he sees-"_

"_Astronema, this is Barthos XVIII," Ecliptor whispered. "Dark Specter's spies have confirmed that there are humans here, refugees from the Karova System."_

"_WHAT does that mean to me?!" Astronema snapped. _

"_As you know, the Karova System is the last known location of the Power Rangers. It is possible that they are among these human refugees, attempting to hide from Dark Specter's forces. Perhaps they are on the planet's surface, inciting some type of rebellion with the rest of the humans."_

_Her eyes widened, and a rush of anger flooded her small body. _

"_The Power Rangers…" she rasped. _

"_The ones responsible for destroying your family."_

_A stony glare came over her face, and she took a few tentative steps toward the view screen. _

"_The Power Rangers… on this planet?"_

"_Even if they are not, there are confirmed reports of humans. Humans who may well be Power Ranger sympathizers. You can not afford to allow them to live."_

"_No. Take us down!" she barked to a Quantron. The silver machine buzzed a reply, and, unbeknownst to the spellbound Princess, Ecliptor silently nodded to himself._

_ -------------------------------------------_

_--------------------------------------------  
_

_The humans were pathetic. Pitiful, babbling, pink creatures, covered in dust and sweat, clothed in brown rags. Sleeping in the sand, walking in the sand, dying in the sand._

_All dying for various reasons; some from the sun, lack of water, lack of food. Others from what was offhandedly referred to as a "broken heart", or death by sheer emotion, lack of will to live._

_Still others had wounds. Battle wounds on some, life-wounds on others. The scarcity of food made those who were lucky enough to possess trace amounts victims. Looters came in packs at night, stealing away crumbs, killing those who stood in their way. _

_They had been on the surface of Barthos XVIII for three days, and half their complement had already succumbed to one ailment or another. Long-term survival was unlikely, short-term survival was an all-encompassing obsession._

_The man and the woman were clearly in charge of the herd. He was tall, strong, and mostly whole. He had suffered some type of cut on his shoulder, which was not healing well, but which he was able enough to ignore. Three times a day, he ripped off a strip of cloth from his pants, exposed the deep, smiling gash to the air just long enough to remove the old "bandage", and tied the new cloth across his chest. _

_She was short, but solidly built, with thick, strong arms and legs, and a determined but compassionate demeanor. She had broken her hand, and it was just beginning to heal, albeit in an entirely useless, contorted position. Though it pained her constantly, she was active in scavenging for the group; going out in the morning and returning at nightfall with a tiny basket full of some type or other of small, dead animal._

_They were mates. She often spoke of their children; now twelve and thirteen, somewhere out in the cosmos. It was probable that she would one day succumb to the "broken heart" ailment, her twisted, mangled hand cupped over her ample breast as the life-giving organ gave out at the thought of never again looking into the eyes of her son and daughter._

_He didn't speak of anything except survival. His wound festered. It was unlikely that he would survive another two days._

_And so the humans lived for three days on Barthos XVIII, until she arrived in their rudimentary camp. _

_Her blinding purple transportation pattern terrified them. They were all constantly on edge, mindful of predators and savage natives. The strong among them fumbled about for some type of weapon, the weak cried out, fell to their knees, tried to make themselves inconspicuous._

_She was accompanied by seven Quantrons and a sadistic grin._

"_Oh, please," she said in mock surprise, "Don't all get up on my account! I'm not interested in any of you."_

_She looked down at the ground, and then back up again._

"_Unless, of course, you know where the Power Rangers are!"_

_The man and the woman had made their way to the front of the group, and Astronema let out a scornful laugh. Clearly, these two were the best the human refugees had to offer. They both looked as though a slight breeze would knock them over. _

"_Did you say… the Power Rangers?" the woman said. Her voice was husky with some inexplicable emotion, and she looked Astronema in the eye, something few of Astronema's victims had ever dared to do._

"_That's exactly what I said. Give them to me, and I might be persuaded to spare the rest of your lives." She smirked. "For what good it will do you."_

_The woman glanced at her mate, and stepped forward. He reached out to stop her, but was suddenly overcome with a searing pain in his shoulder. _

"_Monnika, don't do it!" he groaned, grimacing in agony._

_The woman, Monnika, stepped up to Astronema, raised her chin, and looked at the young girl with disdain._

"_I was a Power Ranger," she said evenly. "My powers were destroyed during the attack on my home planet." _

_She held out her hand, and inside was a burned, warped, and clearly unusable Morpher._

_Astronema's heart skipped a beat, and she stared at the woman. Hatred burned in her eyes, and she began to shake._

"_If you have come for the Power Rangers, you have come for me," Monnika whispered._

_Astronema suddenly let out a hysterical cry, and slashed at the woman with her Wrath Staff. She mostly missed, and fell to her knees. Her vision blurred with tears, and she began to hyperventilate._

_This woman was a Power Ranger. She could have been single-handedly responsible for the death of Astronema's parents and brother. _

_Monnika looked down at Astronema with passive, half-dead eyes, and a small frown crossed her face._

"_You're just a child," she said suddenly. "Just a little girl."_

_Astronema struggled to get her bearings back, and she furiously rubbed her eyes. _

"_You… tell me! What do you know of KO-35?!" she hissed as she stood back up._

_The woman's expression didn't change._

"_I know it well. I was a Power Ranger on KO-35."_

_Astronema's breathing slowed._

"_Then… you…" she opened her mouth wide, desperately gulping oxygen. "You… killed my family."_

"_She didn't do any such thing!" the man gasped, standing up straight. "She's never killed anybody!"_

"_LIES!" Astronema screamed. "You killed my parents, you killed my brother!"_

_Monnika looked her over, and a flash of motherly compassion came over her face. She held her broken hand to her breast, and shook her head._

"_Your whole family was killed? How did it happen?"_

"_You tell me!" Astronema cried. _

"_My… dear," Monnika whispered, with sudden understanding. "This… isn't the way. Oh, you poor child. How well I understand how you feel. I've lost both of my children, you see. I'll likely never see them again. Oh, but… this isn't the way."_

_She reached out to Astronema, and the stunned girl flinched, but allowed the woman's hand to touch her face._

"_I… would have had a daughter about your age. This war has been…" she shook her head. "We've all lost somebody. I know. Everyone here has lost somebody. But revenge isn't the answer."_

_Astronema frowned. The concept of revenge not being the answer was one she had never considered. Had never been allowed to consider. Had never allowed herself to consider. Revenge was the only way she could atone for living while her family died._

"_Dear, you're just a child. My god, how did you… what has happened to you to make you feel this way?" _

_The man suddenly staggered over to his wife, and impatiently swatted her hand away from Astronema's face. Monnika looked up at him with shock, and he shook his head._

"_It's not a child, Monnika," he said coldly. "It's a monster created to look like one. They're clearly trying to fool us. God damn Dark Specter, god damn him."_

_He barged in front of Monnika, and held out his own hand. A similarly destroyed morpher shone in the blinding sunlight._

"_I was a Power Ranger, too. As God is my witness, we never killed anybody on KO-35. It was our-"_

_Astronema let out a feral-sounding cry and slashed at him the way she had slashed at Monnika. This time, she connected with his flesh, and a spray of blood erupted from a fresh cut on his chest. He cried out and fell to his knees. _

"_Harke!" Monnika exclaimed, kneeling next to him. She turned to Astronema, tears in her eyes. "I beg of you, please, leave my husband alone. He tells the truth, we didn't kill your family. You've been deceived. Please, leave him alone-"_

"_You are human, and full of lies!" Astronema snapped. She looked up at the crowd. "Where are the rest of you?! Where are the rest of the Power Rangers?!"_

"_I swear to you, we're the only ones! The others were killed during the evacuation of the planet! We're the only ones left! I swear to you!"_

_Astronema shook her head. It was suddenly possible that the woman was telling the truth; that the Power Rangers who had killed her family weren't on the planet. It was possible that Dark Specter's forces had already eliminated them, and these people were innocent._

_She closed her eyes. _

_The woman stood up, and gently approached Astronema. _

"_My dear," Monnika said, her voice a mellow, soothing whisper. "You're in such pain. You have to let your family rest. You have to let go of the anger."_

_She suddenly made a thoughtful little sound, and brushed Astronema's bangs off her forehead with her good hand._

"_So beautiful. You almost remind me of-" she trailed off. "Well, you're beautiful. There's a better life for you than this. Believe me."_

_Astronema opened her eyes, and for a moment, looking into Monnika's face, it was just like looking at herself._

_Monnika's gentle, motherly expression, her short, blonde hair making a sort of halo around her dusty, war-beaten but still nurturing face, stirred feelings in Astronema she hadn't felt in years._

_She tightened her grip on her Wrath Staff, gave a brief, genuine smile, and drove the Staff directly into the woman's stomach. _

_Monnika's face immediately paled, her eyes filled with shock, and she looked down at where the tip of the Wrath Staff had pierced through her flesh. She looked back up at Astronema, a confused question on her lips._

_Astronema's smile darkened, and she drove the tip in another few inches._

"_There would have been a better life for me, but you took it away," Astronema said, withdrawing the staff. _

_Monnika collapsed to the ground, and Harke was screaming incoherently. _

_Astronema turned to him with a satisfied smirk._

"_That's one down."_

_He pushed himself to his feet, and an expression of unbridled rage flared across his face._

"_You—YOU!"_

_Astronema smiled, and suddenly, a series of bright green flashes engulfed the man, and he collapsed, shrieking in pain._

_Without even turning around, she knew Ecliptor had taken care of the other former Power Ranger. She smirked, and glanced over her shoulder._

"_What took you so long?" she asked._

"_Forgive me, My Princess," he answered, taking her side. "I ran into some trouble."_

"_Well, don't run into any more." _

_She stepped over the bodies of Harke and Monnika, and strode into the midst of the group. The humans stared at her with large, round, disbelieving eyes. _

"_You saw their fate. The same awaits all of you, if you don't tell me the truth." She paused for effect. "Where are the other Power Rangers?"_

"_They already told you!" one woman shrieked. "They're all dead now!"_

"_Impossible," Ecliptor said. "When one falls, another rises to take his place. The Power Rangers live."_

"_Where are they?" Astronema demanded._

"_We… we don't know!"_

"_You don't know." Astronema turned to Ecliptor. "They don't know."_

"_You're a monster!" another person screamed. "You're a monster!"_

"_And you are entirely useless to me. Quantrons, destroy them all," Astronema said, walking away. The Quantrons advanced on the group of humans, and Astronema transported out just as the screams began._


	11. Connection

The image of Monnika remained with her after the dream passed. She felt her heart pounding in her chest, her eyes opened, and for a moment, she wasn't even certain that she was awake.

Monnika's eyes; unblinking, distant, lifeless, continued to stare at Astronema, even as she became aware of the discrepancy of her surroundings.

Monnika had no right to be here.

This was not the barren, scorching hot surface of the long-forgotten and long-occupied Barthos XVIII; but, instead, the comfortably cool and utilitarian quarters of Astronema's brother, aboard his ship.

But the accusing eyes continued to stare at her, and she let out a frightened gasp and sat up quickly.

The residual physical effects of interrupted REM sleep made it difficult to focus her eyes, and she blinked rapidly to try to clear her vision. The details of the room came to her in meaningless little flashes, and it was only after several blinks and a few frantic rubs of her eyes that she realized she was not looking at Monnika at all.

She was looking at herself.

A framed photograph of herself from her childhood. There was one next to it; and for a moment, her blood ran cold as her still half-dreaming mind saw the face of Harke in the frame.

"Oh!" she half-screamed, half moaned, and she snapped her eyes shut and opened them again.

As she had hoped, the faces of the dead from her dream were gone, and in their places were the innocent and familiar visages of herself and her brother.

She stiffly got to her feet, still trying to blink away her disorientation. A sickening sensation was alive inside of her, making her pulse race and her appendages turn to ice.

It had been a dream, she knew. Granted, it was only the most uncompromisingly rational part of her which was aware that it had been a dream; based on the fact that she had just awakened from slumber. This knowledge, however, did little to relieve her of the hideous feeling of dread in her heart.

She had experienced the events in the dream before.

While it was possible that it was a recurring dream, constructed of bits and pieces of other dreams, other random thoughts and (perhaps blessedly unrelated and inconsequential) snippets from real life, the events, the order in which they played out, and the strong emotions which came with them seemed entirely too real to have been simply concocted in her subconscious.

_You killed my family!_

Guilt pulsed through her. She was growing quite familiar with its blinding power. She'd long ago learned to suppress the emotion, but aboard the Astro Megaship, in the quarters of her presumed dead brother, all her 'little tricks" were forgotten.

She was guilty, and she had much to feel guilty about.

Possibly even something for which no one would forgive her.

"Monnika," she said quietly, letting the syllables roll over her tongue. She wasn't able to stop her mind from running over every second of the woman's appearance in the dream.

A strong but gentle voice.

A beautiful, nurturing face which had awakened ancient instincts inside Astronema.

Was it familiar?

Should it have been?

She reached out for the framed photographs, and stared at them with as much concentration as her barely-awake eyes could muster.

She curiously gazed at the photograph of the little girl. Herself, but not herself.

The eyes. The eyes which she had long ago stopped looking into, except for as long as it took to apply her customary heavy-eyeliner-and-shadow makeup combination. Were they the same?

More importantly, were they the eyes of Monnika?

The little girl was wearing a yellow jumpsuit. She remembered, with a pang, that the warped and broken morpher in Monnika's hand had been yellow.

Was there a connection?

"Why can't I remember?" she asked, her voice reaching an emotionally high pitch.

"Is there something I can help you with, Karone?" a pleasant, artificial female voice inquired through the darkness.

Astronema jumped, and the two photos crashed to the ground. She cried out, expecting the glass to shatter. Fortunately, the frames remained intact, and she carefully picked them up and cradled them in her arms.

"Look at what you made me do, you stupid computer!" she snapped angrily.

"You may call me DECA," the ever-pleasant computer replied, seemingly oblivious to having been insulted.

Astronema scoffed as she put the pictures back on their shelf.

"Everything on this ship has a name, doesn't it? Should I have asked the name of the bed before I slept on it?!"

"I'm afraid I cannot answer your inquiry, Karone. Please restate your question."

She snarled, and began to pace the room.

"Would you like me to notify Andros that you are awake?" DECA asked.

"No!" Astronema said suddenly. Too suddenly. She was grateful that she was speaking to a machine that wasn't able to pick up on the guilt in her voice. "No. Don't bother him."

"Very well. Can I assist you with anything, Karone?"

She wished the computer would stop calling her that.

"Computer, are you equipped with personal records on the red—my bro—_Andros_' family?" she asked, before she knew she was asking it.

DECA hesitated for a moment, and, with a roll of her eyes (an ineffective but nonetheless necessary attempt to restore some feeling of normality to the situation), Astronema wondered if the computer was refusing to acknowledge her question if she didn't address it by name.

She was just beginning to restate her question, when DECA finally replied.

"All personal files and Simudeck programs are currently offline. Estimated repair time is five hours, seventeen minutes. Would you like to be notified when personal files become available?"

Astronema shook her head, almost relieved.

"No. Computer, locate…" she hesitated, "Ecliptor."

"Ecliptor is in Cargo Bay One," DECA's pleasant voice replied.

Of course. She had ordered him to wait for her there.

"Would you like directions?" DECA asked.

"No! Leave me alone. And _don't_ tell Andros where I've gone."

"Very well."


	12. Strategy

"It seems like…" Andros sighed and shook his head. "The only thing they both agree on is the fact that Karone isn't going to be safe with us."

The five Rangers had been "burning the midnight oil", as Cassie put it, for nearly four hours now, and deep, crippling fatigue was beginning to come over each of them; try as they did to ignore it.

A pot of synthesized coffee sat in the middle of the table, largely untouched despite the late hour and their collective weariness. No one seemed willing to break the fragile, pensive mood by reaching across to refill their mugs, and as a result, each of them had dozed off at one point or another during the night.

This time, it had been Ashley who had succumbed to the web of slumber, and Andros' sudden and sharp words now seemed like an unwelcome alarm clock.

She had been two minutes into a dream, one which was reluctantly now quickly fading back into her subconscious.

_A yellow dress, one that brushed the floor as she walked. A parasol over her shoulder. A tray of sweet cakes and a pitcher of lemonade, and someone coming up the walk. A smile on her lips. _

_"Isn't it four o'clock yet? I was expecting someone at four," she said in a teasing tone. "But since he isn't here yet, it couldn't possibly be four."_

_"Alright," he said, shaking his head. "I'm late."_

_And then what? A kiss? _

_"You can make it up to me if that's what I think it is in your hand." Another smile. "How did you know?"_

_How did he know what? _

_"Someone suggested it to-"_

It was gone.

Now, she blinked back her pleasant reverie, and shook her own head. A thought had been playing at the edges of her mind as she was drifting off, and if there was ever a time to voice it, it was now. She had hesitated before, hoping someone, probably TJ, would come up with something. Perhaps even the same idea she had.

The night wasn't getting any younger. No one had spoken.

"Andros, maybe we have to think about…" she trailed off. Something stuck in her throat.

_A lemon cake?_

"Think about what?" Andros was saying.

She cleared her throat.

"What Karone said. She said she knew a way to destroy Dark Specter, didn't she?"

Andros' red-rimmed eyes widened.

"I am not going to let her go back to the Dark Fortress. That's out of the question."

Ashley nodded, licking her lips.

"But… what if we went with her? She could get us on the ship, and I'm sure we could buy her enough time to detonate the bomb."

Cassie was somewhat desperately looking from Ranger to Ranger, nodding before Ashley even finished her sentence. Carlos slowly began to rock back and forth, pondering the implications of the idea. TJ was looking thoughtfully at Andros.

"She could be right, Andros."

"It's a risk, but so is just sitting here," Carlos admitted.

"I don't know why we didn't think of it before," Cassie said.

But Andros didn't seem convinced. He got up from the table, his chair roughly scraping against the steel floor. Ashley gave him a concerned look as he turned his back to the team.

"I don't know, you guys."

Ashley looked at her teammates, then sighed and got up as well.

"You don't want her back on the Dark Fortress at all. Even if we were with her."

"No, I don't." Andros looked at her apologetically. "There's no telling what Dark Specter is planning. Going back there could be walking right into a trap."

"Could be," TJ said. "Anything _could be_ a trap at this point."

Andros took a few frustrated steps around the table, and then returned to his seat. He slapped his palms down on the tabletop, and gritted his teeth. The others looked at him worriedly.

"I should have put my foot down," he snarled.

"Andros?" Ashley asked.

"I shouldn't have let Ecliptor on the ship." He met the eyes of his teammates. "I should have never let him on the ship in the first place."

"He would have been destroyed if you hadn't," Cassie said, her tone of voice unreadable. "You saw the kind of shape he was in."

He shook his head. Their eyes met, and it was clear that the same question was going through both their minds.

_Was that a good enough reason? Was it worth it? _

"I told him he didn't have to leave. He offered to leave, and I stopped him." Andros sighed. "Why did I do that?"

"You did it for Karone," Ashley said gently. "You heard what she said down on the planet. Darkonda took away everything she ever cared about once, and she wasn't going to let it happen again."

_Everything she ever cared about._ The words struck Andros deeply, and he turned away from the table again.

The implication, of course, being that Ecliptor constituted "everything she ever cared about". It wasn't that he was offended by her inadvertent omission of her brother as meeting that criterion, though it did hurt him to think of it.

But what truly struck, hurt, and confused him was that his sister _could_ truly, deeply care about someone who had done nothing but lie to her and deceive her for his own sinister ends.

"I just don't understand how… how can she care so much about someone like _him_?" he asked.

"Well, it's... It's because she's human," Ashley whispered. "Think about it. Why do any of us care about people who do bad things? It's because we're human and… and we can forgive them. When you really love someone, that doesn't change. Ever. No matter what."

TJ shot Cassie a meaningful look, and she sighed.

"Or else…" Cassie said, her voice a croak, "She's scared of what he might do to her if she gets away from him."

Andros whipped around and gaped at her.

"Scared of him?" he asked. He looked at the floor and frowned.

She shrugged, and TJ put his hand on her shoulder and elaborated.

"How much do we really know about them? Yes, Karone's your sister, but you said yourself that she's unpredictable. And all we know about Ecliptor is that he's…"

"Mean," Cassie finished.

"So, what are you saying? That she was afraid to leave him behind because she thought he would come after her?" Andros shook his head. "It doesn't make sense. He's just one more enemy. She's in greater danger now with him on the ship than she ever would have been if he stayed behind."

"And she knows it," Carlos said suddenly.

The others looked at him.

"And she had to have known it before, don't you think?"

The others said nothing, and he stood up.

"Well, he worked for her, didn't he? She would have had to know that he had a tracking device."

"Carlos, you don't think…" Ashley trailed off.

"I don't know. What if she is _hoping_ she gets caught?" Carlos finished. "What if she doesn't want to get away, and Ecliptor being here was just insurance that she'd be found?"

"No! I thought we were past this!" Ashley exclaimed. "We all trust her, don't we? She saved us from Darkonda. She proved that she's on our side!"

"For now."

Everyone stared at Andros, who had spoken so quietly that none of them were certain they'd even heard anything. He turned around slowly, and on his face was an expression of painful realization.

"She is on our side… For now. I should have seen it before."

"Seen what?" Ashley cried.

He paced a bit, letting out a sad little laugh.

"Astronema, my sister or not…" he winced, "Is one of the most brilliant strategists I've ever encountered. Think about it, guys, have we ever known her to not have a backup plan?"

"A backup plan?" Cassie frowned.

"I asked her if she trusted us, and she said she's working on it. Working on it. She doesn't trust us yet. She had to have a backup plan in case…" he shook his head. "She changed her mind."

"Oh, Andros," Ashley murmured.

"You don't think she's hoping Dark Specter finds her?" Cassie asked.

"No. No, I know she isn't. She wants to trust us. She wants to be good. She wants it desperately, but something inside her isn't letting her completely let go."

"So maybe it isn't us she doesn't trust," TJ said thoughtfully. "Maybe it's herself."

"And that could be why she's so desperate to get to Dark Specter first! If he's destroyed, she'll have no choice but to stay good!" Ashley cried.

"But if he's not…" Carlos reached for the coffee pot.

Andros suddenly let out a strange, eerie-sounding laugh. The others' heads snapped up in surprise.

"What's… so funny?" Cassie asked, laughing a little herself, out of nervousness.

"It's just that…" Andros rubbed his head. "I've spent all this time looking for my sister. I was always desperate to find her, desperate to save her at all cost. It just… never occurred to me that she might be afraid of being saved."

He looked upward, a dreamy look in his eyes.

"You don't know how many times I sat up all night, just imagining the day I'd finally her. She'd always come running up to me with a huge smile on her face, and she'd jump into my arms and… we'd be like kids again. Just like kids again. And she'd always say…" he swallowed a lump in his throat, "'Andros, what took you so long?'"

The others were quiet, each silently comparing Andros' dreams to the events of reality.

Cassie remembered the way Karone had come so close to opening up, only to catch herself and lock her true soul back up underneath her cold exterior. Indeed, it was an act of fear. Of self-preservation even more desperate than Cassie's own struggle to keep her perspective in check.

Andros gave a shaky sigh, and picked up his cup. He dropped it back in the Synthetron for recycling, and shook his head.

"This is too much," he said. "It's just too much for right now."


	13. High Alert

The Rangers had initiated a force field around the Cargo Bay.

She should have known they would do something like that, but at the time, the last thing she had imagined herself doing was sneaking around the ship behind her brother's back. She had assumed that when she went to see Ecliptor (whenever that would be; she had been far from eager to speak to him again after their last encounter), she would be accompanied by one or more Rangers.

Now, the corridor was empty and silent, save for the pounding of her heart in her ears. She felt a kind of helplessness, and her breathing was quick and shallow. She was torn between desperately hoping that no one came along and saw her there, and half-wishing that someone would come by and deactivate the force field for her.

No one came, and she chose to be relieved.

"Computer," she said, barely breaking a whisper, "Deactivate this force field."

One of DECA's optical sensors blinked at her.

"Authorization required," DECA said in its infuriatingly passive manner.

"Oh, of course it is," Astronema snarled. She approached the wall console, glanced at the numeric keypad, and knew that the odds of her entering the correct passcode were infinitesimal.

"Is this the access panel for the force field?" she asked.

"Affirmative. Karone, would you like me to notify Andros-"

"No! I told you, not a word to Andros." Astronema looked the console over, lightly stroking its surface with one finger.

_An efficient design, but not especially sturdy._

Almost without thinking, she held out her hand expectantly, and her Wrath Staff materialized in her palm. She took a few steps back, pointed the Staff at the console, and fired.

The console erupted in a shower of sparks, and the force field flickered a few times, and then disappeared.

She gave a satisfied half-laugh, momentarily enraptured in the almost-forgotten thrill of being just plain bad.

Her enjoyment was short-lived, and quickly replaced with first a deep stab of guilt, and then a deeper sense of panic.

DECA was speaking.

"Warning, unauthorized entry. Rangers, report to the-"

"Be quiet!" Astronema snapped, raising the Staff to DECA's sensors. "I told you, not a word!"

"Karone, you have breached a restricted area. I am obligated to notify the Rangers."

"Do it..." Astronema looked at the floor, shaking her head. It was the only way. "...And I'll destroy this ship myself."

DECA said nothing, and Astronema thought the discussion was over. She turned to leave, but noticed a bright blue blinking light out of the corner of her eye.

"What is that?" she demanded.

"The ship has been placed on high security alert. All suspicious activity is being monitored and recorded."

A rush of apprehension ran through Astronema and she lowered the Staff.

"High alert?" she asked. "Then... they _don't_ trust us. They probably never did."

The realization was painful, but she knew that there was a more pressing need at hand; if her actions were being recorded, the Rangers could have been watching what she had done at any time.

If that happened, she was likely to be restrained again, and she'd never find out the truth about her dream.

Reluctantly, she raised the Staff back into position, and sighed.

"I'm sorry, DECA. I... I really am."

She fired. DECA's optical sensor clattered to the ground, and a jungle of exposed wires fizzled ineffectually.

She looked around, and saw a second sensor down the corridor. With a well-aimed shot, she took it out.

The blinking alert lights had stopped, and she quickly ran into the Cargo Bay, now praying the Rangers weren't following her.

"Ecliptor!" she hissed, her eyes darting around the room. It was dark, and her eyes were having difficulty adjusting after coming from the well-lit corridor. "Ecliptor, where are you?"

She noticed a dull, yellowish-orange glow coming from behind a stack of crates, and she instinctively tightened her grip on her Wrath Staff.

"Ecliptor?" she said, a little louder.

There was no answer.

She became aware of the sound of her footsteps, and worry came flooding over her.

Something wasn't right.

The glow became more intense as she approached it, and she saw that it was the glow of an exposed panel.

A shadow crossed over the panel, and she let out a gasp and raised her Staff.

"Who's there?!" she cried.

"Astronema?" Ecliptor said. He came out from behind the crates. "What is it?"

She let out a relieved sigh and lowered her Staff.

"I-- why didn't you answer me?" she asked.

"I apologize, Princess. I didn't hear you." he looked behind her. "You're alone."

"Yeah-- yes." She approached him. "What are you doing?"

"I have found a way to interface with the ship's systems."

He gave her a meaningful look, and she shook her head.

"Don't do that. You'll get caught."

"I don't believe so."

"Well, I do. I had to..." she sighed. "I had to blast my way in here. The Rangers are going to know something's up if you break into their computer, too."

He approached her.

"Why did you have to blast your way in?"

She looked behind her, and gestured for him to follow her. He did so, and she crouched behind the pile of crates. He continued to stand, and she exasperatedly pointed to the floor.

"Will you get down here?" she snapped.

He hesitated, and then crouched beside her. She sighed, relieved, and sat down with her back against the crates.

"My Princess, what troubles you?" he asked gently. It was a question he'd asked hundreds of times before, and the familiarity of the question set her at ease. For a moment, it was as though everything they'd been through over the last couple of days was forgotten, and in that moment, she felt more "normal" than she had in she didn't know how long.

But she had to speak now, and answer his question. And the moment she took a breath to speak, the mood was forgotten.

"Ecliptor, tell me about..." her throat was dry."Barthos XVIII."

He said nothing for a moment.

"What do you mean, Astronema?" he asked, as if stalling.

"What do you think I mean? Barthos XVIII, what do you know about it?"

He sighed.

"It is the fourth planet in the Cendari solar system; the only one known in the system to support life. It has been occupied by our own forces for three years."

"Did... we ever fight there?" she asked, her voice thick with pain.

He didn't answer her.

"My Princess, what has happened? The Power Rangers, what have they told you?"

"_They_ didn't tell me anything. It was a dream, but it was so clear and so..." she shook her head. "I've never had a dream that was so clear. It was just like a memory. Everything that happened, I felt it, and I know that it wasn't the first time I felt it."

He shook his head.

"Yes. We were ordered to Barthos XVIII by Dark Specter three years ago. He sent us to take care of a group of refugees from the Karova System."

Astronema felt her heart skip a beat. Hearing Ecliptor confirm the details was simply horrifying, and a look of terror came into her eyes.

"The... Power Rangers," she said in a thick voice. "The Red and Yellow Rangers."

"Yes."

"They'd... they'd lost their powers. They were no threat."

"Not so. Powerless or not, Rangers cannot be trusted. Ever."

She began to shake back and forth, and she hugged her knees to her chest.

"Ecliptor..." she whispered, one last, dreadful question to be asked, "What did they look like? The Red and Yellow Rangers?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, as though he already knew what she meant.

"Did they look like..." a tear streamed down her cheek, "...Me?"

He looked at her carefully, and she turned to him, her reddened eyes full of emotional agony.

"Perhaps," he said. "My Princess, why do you ask these questions?"

"I... I don't remember anything about my childhood. My brother is a blur, and my parents are just... shadows. I don't remember my house, or my city, or... anything. I don't remember what my parents did. What their... their jobs were."

The tears were coming in streams now, and Ecliptor realized, uncomfortably, that he hadn't seen her cry like this since she was a child. He had always warned her against open displays of emotion, and she had taken her training very seriously.

The damage the Power Rangers had caused her would take years to undo, and he shook his head.

"I don't see how it matters. They're likely dead."

"I know," she said, and a horrified laugh came from deep in her throat. "I know, because..."

She made a sound like she was being asphyxiated.

"Because I think they were the Power Rangers on Barthos XVIII."


	14. Immaculate Deception

Ecliptor's memory was, as a general rule, impeccable. He upgraded his systems regularly, scanned his mainframe for viruses and errors every one hundred and seventeen hours, and was able to boast of possessing a ninety nine percent accuracy rate in the retrieval and processing of visual and auditory data.

However, in his dealings with his often untruthful and generally unsavory colleagues, he had learned that the fine art of deception often involved not only misrepresenting and misinterpreting the information he possessed, but also occasionally claiming to have forgotten certain pivotal details.

He had passed this information onto Astronema, and was aware of at least seventeen occasions in which a casual "I'm afraid I don't remember" had saved the Princess a good deal of both time and aggravation. (He could name twenty three occasions in which the same could be said for him, as well as fourteen occasions in which the deception failed.)

The difference, however, between his own claims of a failing memory and Astronema's similar claims were that he never did forget. He could remember, in detail, every moment of his existence since the first time he went online.

Astronema was very different. The first six years of her life were almost entirely lost to her, and the following four or five years were barely retrievable, and then, only in small flashes.

It was fortunate in many ways. Her claims to not remember events and places were always laced with sincerity, and she was so accustomed to saying it that it always sounded truthful, whether she actually did remember the event in question or not.

The present situation presented a strange conundrum, however.

Astronema seemed to believe that the man and woman she had killed in cold blood on a planet three years ago could have been the same man and woman to whom she was born sixteen years ago.

Ecliptor had never seen the parents of the young girl, had never felt the need. The parents (and, until recently, the brother) of the girl from KO35 were never important enough to bother with. Beyond claiming that they were dead at the hands of the Power Rangers, Ecliptor had never given them a second thought.

As a result, he realized that he had absolutely no idea if her parents had been the Power Rangers or not. The Rangers of KO35 had kept their identities a secret until Dark Specter launched his attack on the planet, at which time, the Blue, Black and Pink Rangers had been killed, and the Silver, Yellow and Red Rangers had led an ill-fated exodus to Barthos XVIII.

He recalled with ease the events of his and Astronema's attack on the planet. He had intended to join her, but had been attacked from seemingly out of nowhere by the predecessor to the one called Zhane, a half-crazed man whose morpher was nowhere in sight, but who had a score to settle with those who had destroyed his planet.

Ecliptor had dealt with the former Silver Ranger, and then joined Astronema in time to shoot the former Red Ranger dead.

He remembered the details of their faces well; but had never considered that they may have in any way resembled the face of his Princess.

He thought about it now; the woman's stunned, frozen stare into nothingness. Could her eyes have had the same fire, the same passion of Astronema? Could her half-opened lips have curled into the same satisfied smirk?

The man had died with a look of rage on his face. Was it the same reaction to injustice that the Princess had given him earlier that evening?

Though his memory was impeccable, he had no answers to these questions.

He looked at her now, with her hair in disarray, her hands clasped in her lap, tears rolling down her cheeks, and he knew in that moment that whatever answer he gave her could ultimately decide her fate.

It would have been the ultimate irony if it were true; if she had unknowingly slain her own parents while attempting to avenge said parents.

But irony was all but irrelevant now.

He thought quickly, and waited only as long as he felt was appropriate before he spoke.

"My Princess, what will you do?" he asked.

She let out a sob, and shook her head.

"What can I do? What can I do? I... I have to find out for sure. I have to."

"How will you do it? Will you... ask your brother?"

It was clear that something in his words calmed her, and she exhaled a bit less shakily.

"He doesn't know. He told me last night that... he doesn't know what happened to our..." she couldn't finish her sentence.

"He doesn't know..." Ecliptor thought a moment. "Then, if he does not know..."

"No. I... I have to know. I can't... I have to know."

She was determined. This was good.

He bowed.

"My Princess, perhaps KO35 itself holds the answers."

She looked at him curiously.

"KO35? But... how would we get there?"

"As I said earlier, I have discovered a way to remotely control the ship's systems. I can lock in a course for KO35, and it would most likely appear as a glitch. An error in the navigation systems. We would be there before they were able to repair it."

Astronema bit her lip, and thought for a moment.

"I'm... afraid. I'm afraid of... what I'll find out."

She raised her chin.

"But I have to know. Do it."

She got to her feet, and he followed.

"Where will you be?" he asked.

"I... I don't know. Away from my brother."

She started to walk toward the door, but she suddenly remembered something and whirled back around.

"I destroyed the console that controls the force field. The Rangers can easily get in here."

He nodded.

"Do not worry, Astronema. I will deactivate the doors from the inside."

She hesitated a moment, then silently walked out.

He made sure she was gone, and then returned to the open access panel. He input the new coordinates, and then gave an instinctive glance around.

He pressed his finger and thumb against his left wrist, and a small compartment opened in his forearm. Inside the compartment were both his United Alliance of Evil tracking device, which had, up to now, been deactivated, and a compact communications device.

With a brief pause, he enabled the tracking device, and began encoding a message for delivery to Dark Specter's flagship.

"RANGERS EN ROUTE TO KO35. SUSPECT NOTHING. SEND REINFORCEMENTS."


	15. Repose

The Rangers walked in a weary cluster toward their respective quarters, grouped around Andros as if protecting him from his own sadness.

Ashley had her arm loosely draped through his, and she patted it every few seconds as if to remind him that she was still there.

They walked in absolute silence, until Cassie nearly tripped over a fallen handrail, and she spit out a loud, piercing curse.

"Jeez! So many things on the ship are broken, it'll probably take a month to find them all," she muttered, trying to regain some of her lost dignity.

As if on cue, DECA suddenly began speaking in a garbled, unintelligible tone. The Rangers jumped, and the eeriness of the situation, coupled with the late hour, made their blood run cold.

"DECA?" TJ asked. "Repeat that?"

DECA said nothing.

"What's going on?" Ashley asked, tightening her grasp on Andros' arm.

"DECA must have been damaged worse than we thought." He approached a wall console. "Manual controls are still operational."

"That's really weird," Carlos mused. "She was working fine before."

Ashley glanced at him, as if to say "Was she?"

"It could be some kind of short," TJ said. "DECA, run self-diagnostic."

A low-pitched beep of acknowledgement, and a garbled message was DECA's reply.

"This is too creepy. Stuff like this really freaks me out late at night," Cassie said shakily. "It reminds me of this old answering machine my parents used to have. Once, someone spilled milk on it, and it would always start rewinding our tapes and playing the messages really, really slowly and really, really loud, at four in the morning."

She shuddered at the memory.

"That sounds like a ghost," Carlos replied.

"Oh, no. I don't even want to think about ghosts, out here in space," Cassie said, the pitch of her voice rising. "You guys, I don't want to sleep alone tonight."

The others said nothing, but clearly agreed.

"I mean, you know? I just don't think it's a good idea. You know?"

"Andros, where did you say Karone was?" Ashley asked.

"In my quarters. DECA, is Karone still-" he shook his head, remembering. "Never mind."

"Having DECA down is really bad." TJ frowned. "First thing in the morning, we've got to fix her."

"But… is there anywhere we can all sleep?" Cassie asked worriedly. "In the same room?"

"Yeah, there are crew quarters on Megadeck 2. Six bunks to a room," Andros said with a little smile.

Cassie let out a relieved sigh, and a bit of the spring came back into her step.

"Great." she smiled.

The crew quarters were small, hot and cramped; two stacked bunk beds against three walls, with a small shelf against the wall by the door. There were no windows, and the illumination left much to be desired.

"Oh, this is good," Cassie sighed, almost happily.

"I think we should sleep in shifts, don't you guys?" Ashley asked. "I mean, just in… case…"

"I'll stand guard first," Cassie volunteered, plopping down on the bottom bunk of the nearest bed to the door.

She was asleep before she even hit the mattress.

The other Rangers looked at each other with slight amusement, and Andros unfolded a blanket and lay it over her.

"_I'll _stand guard first," he told the others.

Ashley looked at him worriedly.

"Andros, you have to sleep sometime."

"I will. Sometime."

Despite the events of the day, the Rangers' sleep was deep and restful, and Andros was relieved that his comrades were getting some peace, even if he wasn't.

He sat on the bottom bunk of the bed perpendicular to the one shared by Cassie and Carlos (he had claimed top bunk with all the exuberance of a little boy; getting a laugh out of everyone, despite the fact that it was obvious he had only done it to lighten the mood), with his back to the wall and his arms folded across his chest. All was silent, and he was relieved.

He closed his eyes, fully intending to only rest his eyes for a moment.

However, the silence, the warmth of the room, and the first truly reassuring moments of the day all conspired against him, and a few moments later, he too fell into the clutches of slumber.


	16. Successor

_His parents looked so old._

_In the early light of a day which promised storms as the hours passed by, in the dimly lit kitchen of the home from which Andros had never truly been away, it was as though he was seeing his mother and father for the first time as an adult; as their successor, no longer in name only._

_In the early light of the last day he was to be Harke and Monnika's little boy, he knew that the faces of his parents in his memory's eyes would never again be the glowing, nurturing, seemingly all-powerful faces upon which he and Karone had endlessly gazed in awe as children._

_No, when he looked back with homesickness and longing for his quiet house on KO35, these would be the faces for which he would helplessly pine._

_For the first time, his parents seemed fallible. _

_For the first time, he truly feared for their survival in a practical way; not just the childish fear of abandonment which had plagued him since his sister's disappearance, but as a real, true possibility._

_His parents might not survive an attack on KO35. _

_It was for this reason, among other reasons, that he packed a small suitcase full of his most precious belongings in the wee hours of that otherwise ordinary morning, and gave his childhood bedroom a wry look-over, as if saying farewell to an old friend who was off to chase some unattainable fortune selling snake oil._

_The room had served him so well for the first fourteen years of his life; had been his fortress, his sanctuary, his refuge. _

_Now, it seemed utterly impractical, forgettable, unnecessary. Its walls with its childish adornments, its too-small bed with its bright red sheets, its model ships hanging from the ceiling._

_What did any of it matter? How could any of it ever really matter?_

_He stepped out into the carpeted hallway, and realized with a pang that this could be the last time his bare feet ever sank into the plush, lavender colored pile in the early morning. _

_Strange to imagine it; something so routine and yet so unconsciously comforting; something so expected, something taken for granted, suddenly not being there. Suddenly never being there again, at least not in this same way._

_It was only carpeting, he knew, but at the same time, it wasn't only carpeting he was leaving behind._

_It was everything. Literally everything. _

_Everything..._

_Except her._

_She was the only familiar thing ahead of him, and even she might not be recognizable anymore. _

_But she was out there, and he had to find her. It was time. _

_He walked down the short corridor, past his parents' bedroom, with its door slightly ajar. Andros heard sounds coming from the kitchen and knew that's where they would be. Even at this early hour, he knew they would be awake. Sleep never seemed to fully reach his mother and father; hadn't for years, and it always left them behind after only a few restless hours._

_It was likely for that very reason that they looked so haggard in the delicate sunlight that morning; he had heard them awake well past 2 am, and it couldn't have been later than 5:30 now, yet they were well into the process of readying themselves for the day ahead._

_His mother, the once-beautiful Monnika, was moving about the kitchen as if in a daze, preparing the morning meal in a passionless, robotic manner. Hadn't cooking once been her passion, so many years ago? Had anything taken its __place, to bring the woman a bit of glee as she went about the motions of everyday life?_

_Andros knew the answer. _

_His father was in a similar state, of course. The past eight years had not been kind to him, and in return, he had not been kind to anyone or anything in his presence._

_He had never been an angry man; much the opposite. This remained the same; he wasn't angry. He was all but emotionless. He didn't show kindness, or cruelty, or even a flicker of anything but stoicism and the occasional haunted stare. _

_He went about his work as he always had, and the family had never wanted for anything he could provide them. They had always had enough to eat, enough money, good health, good clothes. Perhaps even too good. _

_Harke was working himself to death and everyone knew it. _

_They weren't aware of the presence of their son yet, and for a single, painful second, Andros considered leaving without saying goodbye. Just going out the door without a second thought. Could it have been any more painful than seeing the look on their faces when they realized that they were about to lose their other child as well?_

_ The decision was made for him a moment later, though, as Harke turned toward Andros as if he'd been expecting him. _

_Harke forced an insincere smile, and Andros was aware of how his father's hair had gone completely gray. When had that happened? How had he failed to notice?_

_"Andros," Harke said, his voice scratchy. It was the voice of an old man. "Looks like rain."_

_The moment he finished saying it, a flash of lightning shone through the window. Monnika jumped involuntarily, and rubbed her head with one hand._

_"Andros, turn on the Kaysis, will you?" she asked dismissively, never turning toward her son. _

_She had no idea yet._

_Andros hesitated, and then approached the family's KSIS (Karova System Informational Service, colloquially called "Kaysis") receiver, a small, flat screened monitor in the middle of the living room. _

_A stoic-looking man appeared on the screen._

_"Good morning," he said, somewhat wryly. "I'm Jeter Penings. It is with the deepest regret that I inform you all that Dark Specter's forces have broken through the security barrier placed at the border of the Karova System. Present sources estimate that UAE forces will reach KO35 within one week. Government officials are currently accepting applications for consideration in KO35's armed forces, all suitable individuals over the age of fifteen are encouraged to consider applying. In addition, special accommodations are being made for evacuation of women, children and-"_

_Harke waved his hand._

_"Turn it off. That's enough."_

_Andros did so, his hand shaking a little. _

_A week. That was almost a month sooner than he'd thought. How could they have broken through the border so quickly? _

_Another bolt of lightning flashed, and he realized time was quickly running out. For everyone._

_A hissing sound emanated from the stove, and Monnika turned over an uninspired-looking egg concoction. _

_"Andros, you want one egg or two?" she asked her son._

_He looked at her; standing there with her back to him, clad in a plain, faded yellow dress, with her short hair in __disarray, and he could hardly believe the normality of her words. _

_Their entire world could end in less than a week, and here she was asking her son what he wanted for breakfast, still unaware that he was leaving to go and fight the very individuals who could destroy their world._

_A sad smile crept onto his lips, and he blinked back tears._

_"Mom..." he said quietly. _

_Her shoulders visibly stiffened, and she turned off the stove. Slowly, she turned to face her son, and when she did, her face was emotionless._

_"What is it, Andros?"_

_Andros closed his eyes._

_"I... I have to go someplace, now. I can't tell you any more about it, but... I might not be back. Not for... a while."_

_His parents said nothing. Monnika wiped her hands on her skirt, leaving behind greasy smudges on the yellow material._

_"I was chosen," Andros continued. "And I... I can't say no."_

_"Chosen," Harke repeated. _

_"Yes."_

_Lightning struck. _

_Monnika suddenly turned her back again, and scraped the eggs out of the pan onto a plate._

_"Well, you're fifteen now. You're old enough to do what you choose," she said. She placed the plate on the table in front of her husband, avoiding looking at Andros._

_"Andros," Harke said, seriously, "Tell us the truth."_

_"I can't tell you about it-" Andros began, but his father shook his head._

_"It's not a girl, is it?" _

_Andros gaped at his father in disbelief._

_"You haven't gotten a girl in trouble, have you?" Harke continued._

_The absurdity of the question struck Andros, and he laughed despite himself. With all the questions he expected from his parents as he prepared to leave, this was one he had never considered._

_The laughter seemed to lift some of the heaviness from the air, and his parents looked almost human again._

_"No, Dad... I haven't gotten any girls in trouble."_

_He kept giggling a bit, and Harke nodded._

_"I didn't figure you did, but a father has to ask."_

_Andros finished laughing, and the smile on his face reluctantly faded as he realized both his parents were looking at him with expressions that looked almost hungry. As if they were taking in every detail of their son the way he was taking in every detail of them._

_"Uh, like I... like I said, I... I'll be gone awhile. I don't know when I'll be back," Andros said._

_When. Not if. When._

_"Well, your mother and I will keep everything in order around here while you're gone," Harke said casually. There wasn't a trace of insincerity in his voice, and Andros almost wondered if his father had even heard the news report that stated that KO35 could be dust in a week._

_He didn't say anything to that effect, only nodded, a lump forming in his throat. _

_"Okay."_

_"Ought to have some breakfast before you go," Harke said, tucking into his own plate of food._

_"I-I really don't have time," Andros said._

_"Well, take something with you. Monnika, make him something to take along."_

_"No-" Andros protested, but his mother was already opening up the cupboard. He took a shaky breath, blinking back tears, and he realized that this could be the last meal his mother would ever make for him, and he couldn't turn it down._

_His father then ate in silence, and Monnika rushed about, preparing a simple meal for her son to take with him on his mysterious journey._

_Andros sighed and turned away from his parents. He closed his eyes._

_If he just didn't see them, he could pretend he wasn't about to cry._

_What seemed like mere seconds later, Monnika walked up to him with a messily wrapped pouch of something or other. _

_Andros realized with a start that his mother was still taller than he was. The top of his head only came to her nose. _

_He was still a child. Fifteen may have been the legal age of adulthood on his home continent, but in that instant, standing there in his kitchen, looking up into his mother's eyes, he didn't feel anything like a man._

_He was just a boy, and he felt like one._

_He had to get out before the feeling overpowered him. _

_He took the pouch in his hands, and felt its warmth._

_"Let it get cold, it'll taste better," Monnika was saying. There was no feeling behind the words, and she recited them the way one recites an often-repeated prayer. _

_"O-okay," Andros said. "I really have to go now."_

_Harke stood up, and Andros turned away. He didn't want a long goodbye, couldn't even begin to tolerate one. He had thought that the easiest part of leaving would have been saying goodbye to his father; his emotionally distant father, the father who seemed to look through him rather than look at him._

_He desperately didn't want to cry in front of his father._

_Harke stood before his son, nearly a foot taller than him. _

_He opened his mouth, and spoke the last words he'd likely ever speak to his son._

_"Like I said, your mother and I will handle things around here."_

_He then nodded, once, and went back to the table._

_Andros realized, with a sense of guilt, that he was relieved that that was all his father had said. _

_He then looked at his mother, and tried to smile._

_"I'll be back as soon as I can," he told her, as casually as if he were only going down to the store._

_"You do what you have to do," Monnika said, rubbing her hands on the front of her dress._

_Andros nodded, and then quickly walked out the front door. He had intended to take a moment to commit the details of his kitchen and living room to memory, but it was no longer possible to remain in his house without crying. _

_He was unprepared for the chill of the early morning against his face, and he lowered his head to his chest, letting his long hair shield his face against the wind. It was a long walk to where he was going to meet Zhane and begin his training, and he couldn't let a little wind stand in his way._

_He was nearly to the end of the walk when it began to rain. He stopped for a second in order to put his food in the suitcase where it wouldn't get wet, and he suddenly became aware of his mother behind him._

_"Oh no," he said, almost inaudibly. He reluctantly turned around, wondering what he had forgotten._

_When he saw her, though, his blood ran cold. _

_It had been years, literally since the day that the KO35 authorities had called off the search for Karone, since he had seen her cry. He had actually thought crying was no longer possible for her, after the amount of tears she had shed after Karone was kidnapped. _

_But she was crying now, and the look on her prematurely aged face was horrifying; she looked like a lost and frightened little girl. _

_She looked like Karone._

_"Mom?" Andros asked, now too shocked to even consider crying. _

_The rain was belting down upon them now, and her hair was plastered to her forehead. Her breath came in half-hysterical gasps, and she didn't blink._

_"Find her, Andros," she said in a voice that was not her own. _

_He let out a little gasp._

_"She's still out there. She's still alive. I know it. I know... because I'd be able to feel it if she was dead. She's not dead. She's alive. Find her. Don't let anything stand in your way. Not your father and I, not Zhane, not anything or anybody."_

_She grabbed his hand, and he didn't pull away._

_"Find your sister. Find her."_

_He didn't know how she had known about Zhane, but he didn't ask._

_He only nodded._

_"I will, Mom. I swear it."_

_This seemed to put her at ease, and she gave him the closest thing to a smile as she had come in years._

_"I know you will."_

_She drew back her hand, and rubbed her eyes._

_"Your father and I love you, Andros. We always have. Don't worry about us. We'll get by."_

_"I swear, I will be back as soon as--" he trailed off. _

_"Yes," Monnika said absently. "Yes."_

_She looked at him one more time, and then turned to leave just as suddenly as she had come. _

_Andros watched her disappear back into his home, and he shook his head._

_"I love you too, Mom. I love you too."_


	17. Just for the Moment

"Andros?" Ashley shook his shoulder gently but firmly. "Andros!"

He realized that he had been asleep, and his eyes snapped open, unfocused. He looked around the room frantically, and his eyes finally rested on Ashley.

"What? What is it?" he asked, starting to get up. "Karone? Is she-"

"No, no. Everything's fine. I think you were having a nightmare," she said, a worried expression on her face.

"Wh--" Andros blinked. "I fell asleep..."

He looked around the room, attempting to reorient himself. He could feel his racing pulse, his breath coming in short gasps.

How long had it been since he had so clearly recalled the faces of his parents? It was jarring to remember, with such distinct clarity, the expressions on their faces on the day he had left home.

And now, he realized, they may only be a memory.

His mother might never know that he had found Karone.

But, she might also never know that she was Astronema.

A blessing?

Ashley shifted nervously beside him, and, with great effort, he put on a reassuring smile.

"It's okay, it was just a dream. I shouldn't have fallen asleep at all."

"I'm not surprised that you did. It's been a couple of hours, though, and I feel a lot better. Why don't you get some more sleep?" she said, a kind smile on her face.

"Oh, no, I should really-" he started to get up, but she put her hands on his shoulders and pushed him back down.

"You _should really_ sleep. Come on, lie down."

He shook his head.

"No, I'm... I'm awake now. I'm glad you woke me up."

She frowned worriedly, and rubbed his shoulder.

"We'll stand watch together, then."

He nodded. He was glad for the company.

"Andros, you know… you can't do everything," she said, sitting down on the bunk beside him. "You have to let us help you sometimes."

"I am letting you help me," he noted.

"You know what I mean."

"I can't stand back and do nothing."

Ashley rubbed her head and looked at him curiously.

"I just don't understand. You found your sister. I thought you'd be so happy, but you seem almost..." she shook her head. "Almost like you're even sadder than before."

Andros sighed, the dream still heavy on his mind.

"I… am happy that I found her."

"But?"

He frowned. How did she know there was a "but"?

"But... I'm so afraid for her, too. I'm so afraid she's going to... to make a wrong decision and..."

"And you'll lose her again."

"Yeah."

Ashley pulled her knees up onto the bed, and she leaned against the wall beside him.

"But... I think you're so afraid of losing her that you can't just let yourself be happy for the time that you do have with her."

"Maybe," he muttered.

She shrugged.

"Maybe," she agreed.

Andros sighed.

"I just can't help but wonder... if she'll ever be able to know our parents."

Ashley turned toward him, putting her arm behind her head. Andros had so rarely talked about his family life that she realized she had no idea if his mother and father were alive or dead.

"Do… you have any idea where they could be?" she asked gently.

"No," he admitted, "But even if I did, I mean... they weren't the same. The last time I saw them... they were entirely different people than they were when Karone knew them."

"Different how?"

"They were like... robots. They held everything inside for so long that... I don't think there were any feelings left in them."

"Well, it must have been hard," Ashley said thoughtfully. "Coping with their daughter being kidnapped."

"It was." He looked at her. "Karone asked me, last night, what our parents were like. I told her they were the best parents any kid could hope for. And it was true, back then. I told her that, and I think it made her happy. I just couldn't bring myself to tell her what they became. It would have... it would have broken her heart."

He suddenly shook his head briskly, as if to clear what he had just said from the very air.

"I don't mean that they got... mean. They were still very kind people. They still cared about me, as much as they could. But..."

He sighed and looked away.

"Well, anyway, I don't even know if they're still alive."

"You have to believe they are," Ashley said. "And you have to believe that they'll get better. People go through a lot, but I don't think they ever really forget how to love. If you said they were good parents, that's still there in them."

Andros nodded, but he wasn't convinced.

Ashley bit her lip, and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Andros, you know... nothing is ever perfect. I just wish you could be happy with what you have. You found your sister. You saved her from... everything. Why can't you just be happy with that for now?"

"I don't know. I just can't."

Ashley looked away for a second, then a determined look came over her face, and before Andros knew what was happening, she leaned in toward him, pressed her body against his, and kissed him.

His eyes widened as hers closed, and for a moment, time seemed to stop. Everything was forgotten, save for the sensation of her soft lips against his, the contours of her soft body aligning with his, and the electricity of their contact.

When she finally broke the kiss, he could only think of one thing to say.

"Do you need more space on the bed?" he asked, his voice wavering.

She laughed a confused laugh.

"What?"

"I mean... why did you do that?"

"Because I think we both needed it."

A blush rose on her cheeks, and she looked down.

"I'm sorry," she said then. "It wasn't the right time."

Andros shook his head, and a he blushed as well.

"I don't know. Maybe it was."

She looked up, into his eyes, and smiled a grateful smile. She then scanned the room to make sure the others were still asleep.

"I hope no one saw. They'd never let us live it down," she whispered.

Andros looked behind him, squinting in the darkness.

"I think they're all still asleep."

"I hope so," Ashley giggled, putting her hand over her mouth. "I could just hear them. Oh, man, we'd never hear the end of it."

He laughed a little, and nodded.

But, in that instant, sitting there on the bottom bunk of the Megaship's crew quarters with the most beautiful woman Andros had ever known, he realized with a jolt that he didn't care if the others did see.

And Ashley was right. It was time to just be happy for the moment. For just this moment. He didn't know when he'd have time to just be happy again, and he knew he'd always regret it if he let this chance pass him by.

He fully intended to let her know that, in words, but what he did instead was pull her close to him and kiss her again.

They were quiet then, very quiet. They were determined not to wake anyone up.

But they weren't ready to let go.

* * *

The stars passed by in one big blur, and Astronema felt an odd chill as she watched what may as well have been her entire life whip by outside the viewscreen of the Megaship. 

The robot, Alpha, wasn't on the bridge, and the computer, DECA, wasn't able to speak intelligibly, though she sharply felt its mechanical "eyes" watching her every move.

She felt definite regret at the damage that she had caused to DECA; she had tried to reassure herself that it was only a machine and couldn't really feel pain, but the fact remained that DECA was a member of her brother's team, a valuable member, and she had "hurt" it.

It had been necessary, she knew. But that didn't take away the sting. She wondered if anything ever would again.

It was done. Ecliptor had input the commands. She was en route to KO35 now, unbeknownst to everyone who could stop her.

The Rangers were nowhere to be found, at least for now. If they came to the bridge and found her, what would she say? Conversely, where else could she go where she could be alone and monitor the ship's systems?

The display on the navigational console gave her an estimated time of arrival to KO35.

Three hours at Hyperrush 9.

She was skating on thin ice and she knew it. A glitch, yes. The Rangers would think it was a glitch if they found out. She was innocent, or she would appear to be. It would appear to all be a strange coincidence.

But when they arrived at KO35, how could she get away from them in order to investigate the planet alone?

She had to stay away from the Rangers, but she also had to stay in relative control of their ship.

It presented an interesting problem.

So she elected to remain on the bridge, seated directly in front of the viewscreen.

A horrible feeling of cold loneliness came over her.

The chronometer read 0508. Somewhere, right now, on a million worlds, a million suns were rising. Billions of people were rising to greet the day. Good, evil, it didn't matter, did it?

Somewhere, right now, Dark Specter was plotting his revenge against her.

And here she was, praying her enemies (friends?) wouldn't find her on their own bridge in the next two hours and fifty eight minutes.

It was almost funny.


	18. Absolution

0819.

The ETA had been off by eleven minutes, and Astronema felt a sickening and highly reluctant sense of... was it pride? as she realized that the Dark Fortress's ETA calculations had always been accurate to within a fraction of a second.

When at war, she knew, nothing was more crucial than the keeping of accurate time. A miscalculation of eleven minutes could have been absolutely catastrophic under numerous sets of circumstances.

A half-unraveled thought darted through her mind, and she wasn't sure whether she should fear for the Rangers' safety after discovering this potential hazard, or feel irritated for not discovering this potential weakness sooner.

It was little more than a passing thought, though, and one quickly forgotten as the final steps of her journey "home" came to fruition with startling clarity.

The ethereal bluish green world loomed before her, seemingly inviting and repelling her at the same time.

One side of her, long buried, felt a deep, primal longing to immerse herself fully inside the mere sight of the planet; allowing it to envelop every inch of her, warming her all the way through, protecting her from every harm her mind could project, purifying her soul and giving her new life.

The other side wanted to run. Wanted desperately to run. Hated the planet, hated everything it represented; goodness, light, all-encompassing, indiscriminate love.

Purity.

For so many years, she had been endlessly reminded that these things (or, rather, the pursuit of these things, for it was only a select few beings who had truly attained them; indeed, these beings were the most dangerous in the universe and were to be avoided at all cost) were the true root of all the miseries in the universe.

That to be "good", "pure" and "kind" was to deny the true nature of all living beings, and to exist in an artificial, unnatural, disgraceful state.

The "worth" of a man was measured by his achievements on the battlefield. By how many had fallen before him.

"Love" was a form of deception. Always.

"Trust" was to be bestowed upon as few individuals as possible, and never given unconditionally.

"Light" implied cowardice, the inability to stand one's ground in the darkness.

"Purity" implied inexperience, and the potential for corruption.

How well she had learned these lessons, endlessly repeating them to herself until she had almost hated her parents for raising her to be "good".

It pained her deeply to admit that.

Whatever she thought of the image of her former home planet, however, what she knew it really came down to was the fact that she feared the kind of absolution that setting foot on KO35 could give her. One way or another, she knew without a shred of doubt that her life would never be the same again.

How different it had been, only a few days ago, when she had met Andros there. Had she heard the echoes of her mother's voice then? Her mother's voice, kind and loving, unaware of what would become of her daughter and, by direct association, herself?

_Karone, go play with your brother._

She closed her eyes.

_I beg of you, please, leave my husband alone. He tells the truth, we didn't kill your family. You've been deceived. Please, leave him alone-_

She couldn't do it.

But she had to do it.

_If you have come for the Power Rangers, you have come for me._

There was no time.

The Rangers would find her here.

_Karone! Andros! It's time to come in!_

They'd know.

She couldn't do it.

_There's a better life for you than this. Believe me._

She had to do it.

She couldn't do it.

_Oh, Karone, yellow! It's my favorite color, honey. Thank you._

There was no time.

She couldn't do it.

_It's not a child, Monnika. It's a monster created to look like one. They're clearly trying to fool us. God damn Dark Specter, god damn him._

No time.

She couldn't do it.

_I was a Power Ranger, too. As God is my witness, we never killed anybody on KO-35. It was our-_

She had to do it.

A beeping sound, one which startled her and reignited her fear of being caught.

What was it?

She scanned the bridge frantically until she saw an indicator light on one of the wall consoles, flashing in sync with the beeps.

"ENCODED COMMUNICATION" read the panel.

Her heart leapt into her throat.

They knew she was here.

No time.

_No time._

Looking around frantically, she knew there was no place to hide on the well-lit, wide-open bridge.

It never occurred to her that the Rangers wouldn't use their encoded inter-ship communications systems to alert her to the fact that they were "on to her", and with a pained glance back at DECA, she teleported off the ship to the planet's surface, taking the plunge without a second thought.

DECA's attempt to notify the Rangers of her departure came out as a garbled message, delivered in an obscure dialect of a language spoken by the nomad tribes of the northern hemisphere of Sandorsa Prime.

Carlos muttered, half-asleep, "Isn't anyone going to fix that already?"


	19. Action

Elgar had finally made up his mind about something which had been troubling him for quite some time, and he decided now was the best time to finally do something about it.

He'd been on "vacation" (or, as Astronema had put it, "Get off my ship and go do something useful with yourself before I tell Dark Specter you 'fell out the airlock',") for nearly three weeks now, and the monotony of awakening every day at noon, then spending the day watching soap operas over the telephone with his aunt Divatox, was starting to get to him.

Mostly, though, he had returned because he was out of food. The fare aboard the Dark Fortress may have been uninspired, often undercooked and sometimes even hazardous to his health (he'd never forget the time the Quantron had set before him a plate of some abominable earth vegetable dish called a "sah-lodd", nor would he forget the unspeakably vile pains which had accompanied his reluctant digestion), but he was in dire straits.

And so, he entered the Dark Fortress with a triumphant air; waving his sword around like a conquering hero. He clipped a passing Quantron with the side of the sword, and the foot soldier cursed at him.

"Ah, what are you complaining about?" Elgar yelled dismissively. "I shoulda got outta _your_ way!"

He realized he had gotten his pronouns wrong.

"I mean, you shoulda got outta _my _way! You know what I mean! Gah, you got me so upset I can't even think straight! Get outta here before I take off _your other_ shoulder pad!_"_

The Quantron stormed away to repair itself, and Elgar let out a laugh. He then strutted over to the door of Astronema's chamber, and knocked on the wall rhythmically.

"Hey, uh, Boss?" he cleared his throat. "It's me, Elgar! We gotta have us a little talk!"

There was no response, and he peered into the darkened room.

"Uh, Astronema? Is this a bad time? You're not, uh... having 'one of those days', are ya?"

He looked around and saw no one in the vicinity, save for several Quantrons.

"Did I miss something?"

Suddenly, Darkonda entered the bridge, barking out commands. Elgar pointed eagerly in Darkonda's general direction.

"Oh, hey! Uh... wait, don't tell me..."

Darkonda approached him swiftly, sword drawn.

"Uh, Marv, wasn't it?" Elgar asked. "Or, uh... Steve? Alphonse! It was Alphonse, wasn't it?"

"What exactly do you think you're doing on _my_ Dark Fortress?!" Darkonda demanded, pointing his sword at Elgar.

"Uh, hey, whoa! Be careful where you're pointing that thing!" Elgar backed away. "Hey, uh, listen, I'm tryin' to find, uh, what's her name. You know who I'm talking about!"

"Identify yourself!" Darkonda snapped.

"What? You mean you don't know who I am?" Elgar cried in disbelief. "It's me, Elgar! I remembered _your_ name. Talk about _rude!_"

Darkonda let out a little chuckle.

"Oh, of course, how could I forget? Astronema's _other_ lackey."

He withdrew his sword, and turned his back to Elgar.

"Well, judging by the fact that you're here, and not with the Power Rangers, I gather that your loyalties haven't strayed the way Astronema and Ecliptor's have. That's something, anyway."

"Uh, say who?" Elgar asked. "Hey, listen, this is all _real_ interesting and everything, but, uh... I really need to find Astronema. See, I'm gonna ask her for a raise."

Darkonda was silent, and Elgar nodded, deeply proud of himself.

"I figured it was about time. I been here almost eight months now, and when I tell you I've been working my butt off, you can take it to the bank. I figure it's time I put my foot down and demand what I'm worth!"

Darkonda turned back to him, gave him the once-over, and shook his head.

"Astronema doesn't work here anymore. And, just from what I've seen here, I'm inclined to say that neither do you!"

"What? Astronema quit?!" Elgar asked. "Oh, man! Does this mean I get her job?"

"Hardly!" Darkonda spat. "Dark Specter has left me in charge."

"Figures!" Elgar whined. "I go on vacation for three lousy weeks, and what happens?"

He pouted for a moment, then his head snapped up.

"Hey, will _you_ give me a raise?"

Darkonda was formulating a response, when suddenly Dark Specter appeared on the viewscreen.

"Darkonda!"

Elgar let out a scream and ducked behind a console. He couldn't imagine why Dark Specter was calling, but he had a terrible feeling it had something to do with the fact that he'd told Auntie D that he'd pick up her dry cleaning and never did.

"I am here, my liege!" Darkonda cried, bowing. "How may I serve you?"

"I have just received an encoded transmission from Ecliptor!" Dark Specter roared.

"What?!" Darkonda spat incredulously.

Dark Specter was seemingly oblivious to the tone in Darkonda's voice, and he continued.

"He is aboard the Rangers' vessel, en route to KO35."

"KO35, how predictable of them!" Darkonda said to himself.

"You will intercept them, retrieve Astronema and Ecliptor, and destroy the Rangers!" Dark Specter barked.

"It will be my honor!" Darkonda enthused.

"Do not fail me!"

The screen went black, and Darkonda hissed a curse.

"Ecliptor, you always have to screw things up for me, don't you?!" he snapped. "Contacting Dark Specter, what a coward. Just like a child hiding behind his mother's skirts! If you're going to defect, do it all the way!"

Elgar peeked out from behind the console.

"Hey, uh, he didn't say anything about any... dry cleaning, did he?" he asked Darkonda.

"What a fool Dark Specter is for believing the transmission came from Ecliptor! Why, I bet the Rangers used his private communications channel and have set some sort of trap!"

"Hello?" Elgar said, louder.

"Elgar!" Darkonda called, oblivious to the fact that Elgar had been speaking. "Where are you?!"

"I _might_ be over here, depending on what Dark Specter said," Elgar said. "Why?"

"We're going to KO35. You'll help me destroy Astronema, Ecliptor and the Rangers," Darkonda explained.

Elgar leapt up and began pumping the air with his fist.

"Now _that's_ what I'm talkin' about!" he exclaimed. "Finally, a leader who's not afraid to take some action!"

"Yes," Darkonda said quietly. "Some action."


	20. The Most Beautiful Place in the Universe

"Melica City," Astronema said out loud, and a deep chill ran through her as she let out a sound that was not quite a laugh, not quite a sob.

_Melica City_.

The name of her hometown. The words came to her so easily now as she touched down on the soft grass of a long-abandoned park in the center of KO35's largest and once most populous city. She had barely rematerialized from transport when the long-forgotten name blasted itself into the very center of her consciousness.

And just how many long, sleepless nights, she wondered with irritation, had she spent in the past ten years desperately trying to remember that very name? How swiftly had the information flitted through her mind, always teasing her with its veiled proximity, yet always darting away just before she was able to full grasp it, reclaim it, conquer it?

_Melica City. _

Remembering it now seemed almost unbearably anticlimactic, and she did choose to laugh; mocking herself, making light of the pain this gap in her memory had caused her, the horrible, disconnected, lost feeling she had always had.

Melica City

_So what?_

The most beautiful place in the universe she had once called it. A misnomer if ever there was one. While she admitted that the sleek, metallic skyline did carry a certain minimalist aesthetic, there was nothing beautiful at all about the nature of the city as it stood now.

Abandoned. Empty. A ghost town, bearing the essence of millions of innocent people whose lives had been cut short by her own forces.

Did their restless souls remain? Even now, in broad daylight, did she walk among millions of unsatisfied spirits, spirits hungry for vengeance, hungry for retribution?

She felt another chill.

_It's me you want,_ she thought. _It's me._

She turned her back to the city, and as she did so, a half-forgotten event from her childhood flashed through her mind, and for a moment, it was as though she was right back there.

But back where?

_Melica City. The most beautiful place in the universe._

_Mom, can't we go to the... the (something) this year? You said we had to wait until we were (how old?), but we've been good! _

_The most beautiful place in the universe._

She closed her eyes.

* * *

_[Yes._

_There it was._

_The Festival. The festival of... something. Every year. Every... every summer! Yes!_

"_It's not safe," someone said. "There are live Astro Blaster demonstrations there. You're not going to it until you're nine and that's final."_

_Astro Blasters. Yes, of course. The Power Rangers' sidearms._

"_But we've been real good!" someone protested. Someone..._

_Andros. _

_Andros! Yes!_

"_I don't care if you single-handedly repainted the house and reshingled the roof. The festival is not for children."_

_Could it be... of course. Her father._

_Harke._

"_But it's in Melica City! Melica City is the most beautiful place in the universe!"_

_That had been her. Or, rather, Karone._

"_It is, huh?" _

"_Harke, you know, they have been awfully good."_

_A teasing, almost seductive feminine voice._

_Monnika._

"_See? Even Mom says so! We won't get in the way! And we'll even hold hands!"_

"_You must really want to go," Harke said, laughing. "To want to hold hands with your sister."_

"_The Power Rangers are gonna be there! I'd hold hands with a snake to get to see the Power Rangers!" Andros cried._

"_Snakes don't have hands!" Karone giggled._

* * *

She was suddenly aware, as she walked along, engrossed in the memory, of a barely audible, surprisingly gentle whooshing sound.

She looked up, and gasped.

Off in the distance, several hundred yards, was a lake.

_The _lake.

A calm breeze made ripples on the water, and the tall, long overgrown grasses bent in the direction of the water, as if forming a path from Astronema to the lake.

She remembered this lake. It was often in her dreams, even when it had no logical reason to be there, and even when she had all but forgotten its significance.

This lake had been her refuge during many hot summer days; she, her family, and seemingly the entire population of Melica City had ventured into its welcoming, ice cold depths for relief from the stifling heat.

The idea seemed almost ludicrous to her now; immersing her entire body in a naturally occurring pool of water in order to lessen the effects of naturally occurring climatological phenomena on her body? It was absolutely absurd.

Yet, as she stood there, gazing off into the crystal blue horizon, a part of her longed to plunge her stiff, sore body into the waves and let herself float on its surface just as she had as a child.

"How ridiculous," she said to herself.

Just as she spoke, another memory surfaced, and she closed her eyes and gasped at the intensity of the mental images and the accompanying emotions.

* * *

[_Panic. A distinct sense of panic, and the illusion of the very world caving in on her._

_Her parents were nowhere in sight. They had gone... somewhere. _

_Lunch. They had gone to get lunch. _

_Both of them? Both of them had gone off together and left the children alone at the lake? Could that have been right?_

_Yes. Yes, of course; the children were excellent swimmers, better even than they were. They would have had no reason to anticipate that anything could go wrong in the middle of the afternoon, out at the lake. _

_Indeed, the children should have been safe. But something had gone wrong. _

_Laughter. The girl's laughter as she paddled toward the shore, every so often looking behind her to see if he was still underwater._

"_Hey, Karone, I bet you can't hold your breath longer than me!" _

"_Bet I can!"_

_But she hadn't. She had surfaced right away, giggling. _

_Even then, she was a schemer. She intended to wait until Andros was just getting ready to surface, then she would duck under and come back up a minute later so it would look as though she had beaten him._

_What a cunning little brat she had been._

_She continued to laugh, her reluctant admiration for her brother's ability to hold his breath growing with each passing second._

_Until it had been too long._

"_Andros?" she asked, swimming back over to where he had gone under. _

_Where was he?_

_Where WAS he?!_

_And now, crippling panic. Terror. Sheer terror._

_She had lost him. _

_She looked back at the shore, at the hundreds of oblivious people, none of whom were her mom or dad. _

_She had lost him. _

_And all of a sudden, the water ahead of her erupted in a gigantic wave, and she was knocked backwards._

_When her vision cleared, she gasped. Screamed. Screamed for all she was worth._

_A monster had Andros._

_A huge, disgusting, gray fish-like monster. Roaring. Slobbering. Screaming unintelligibly._

_It was going to eat Andros._

_And what did she remember after that? _

_What had happened after that?_

_Flashes of color. Yells. Andros, unconscious, by her side on the sand._

_A man, taller than anyone she'd ever seen, dressed all in red. She had grabbed onto his hand, screaming hysterically._

"_Okay, honey? Honey? You've got to let go of my hand, honey. You've got to let go so I can go and fight the monster," he was saying in a gentle voice. His face was obscured by a red helmet and he was trying to pull away, to no avail._

"_He won't wake up! He won't wake up! You've got to wake him up! He's my brother! My parents are gonna KILL me!" Karone screamed, clutching the man's fingers with all her might._

_If anyone could save Andros, it was the Red Ranger. _

_The Red Ranger laughed._

"_Your parents aren't going to kill you. It's going to be okay. Your brother is going to be fine. Let go, honey."_

_His voice, so soothing. So loving._

_So... familiar._

"_Are you SURE?" Karone had asked him mid-sob._

"_You're going to take care of him, aren't you?" _

_She nodded as quickly as she could._

"_Then there's nothing to worry about. Now, let me go, honey."_

_She had complied without another word._

_Honey._

_Her parents hadn't come back until nearly an hour later. They claimed they had been trapped inside a building by falling debris._

_Her father's hand had been broken. _

_Andros had lived. _

_The Power Rangers had won._

* * *

All of a sudden, Astronema never wanted to set eyes on that lake again as long as she lived. 


	21. Stronger

The irony of a planet so brimming with the promise of life; lush foliage, clear, almost heavenly blue skies, a kind and benevolent sun, but that thrived so utterly in vain, weighed heavily on Astronema.

Why did the grass bother to grow if it knew it would never again serve as the soft carpeting underneath the feet of a dreaming young girl?

Why did the rain bother to fall if its gifts would forever be unappreciated by farmers and gardeners?

Why did the atmosphere continue to produce oxygen if there was no one to breathe it?

Why did the sun continue to rise if there was no one to greet it?

And why did the buildings continue to stand, open, empty, waiting for the return of their long-dead inhabitants? Why did they not simply collapse under the knowledge that their physical exertion was for naught?

Indeed, she had come. She had walked on the grass, looked at the sun, breathed the air.

She had stood in the doorway of a familiar but entirely forgotten building and wondered what it had meant to her.

But she was alone. Could anticipation of her arrival have been reason enough for the planet to go on as it always had?

Why did KO35 not collapse in on itself out of grief?

It was clearly much stronger than she was.

And now, she lay on her back in the grass, her blue curls splayed around her head like a messy, tangled crown.

She stared into the sky and took one quavering breath after another.

This had been her yard. She knew it, just as well as she knew her own voice.

Her yard. The dilapidated building up ahead had been where she had lived.

She couldn't go any further. She had doubled over and collapsed, whimpering, at the very sight of it.

_Coward, _she said to herself. _Coward._

It changed nothing. She could not move.

And, really, she knew that whether she could make it to the house at this point was irrelevant.

Because she already knew the answer.

She already knew that her parents had been the Power Rangers.


	22. Confession

[_She could remember their confession, now, as clearly as the day they had made it. _

_It had been right here. Right here in the yard._

_Her father had been videotaping... something. He'd been using the family's brand new Hovercam; a video camera which hovered above the ground and automatically recorded any kind of sound and movement._

_He had had trouble operating it at first, and it had showed in the video discs, which the family had always enjoyed watching and laughing at. _

_How many times had she watched this disc? How many?_

_First, a rapid zoom-in, then a slow, shaky zoom-out of a large, intricate, hovering sphere._

"_Oh, okay, no, I got it now," Harke said off-camera, his voice muffled by something. _

"_You got it?" Monnika asked. Her voice was clearer, she was standing next to Harke, also off-camera._

"_Yeah. The zoom control is still sticky from when the kids dropped it, but-"_

"_Andros, can you hold it there just a second longer?" Monnika called._

"_-But it'll work as long as I do it slow. Andros, tell us what we're looking at, huh?"_

_Andros appeared in front of the camera then, seven years old, with the same long brown streaked hair he had in his teenage years. _

_He smiled and waved, then sat down next to the sphere._

"_It's my... tel- tek... tekelenesis sphere," he said._

"_Telekinesis?" Harke corrected. _

"_Uh huh!" _

"_Impressive."_

"_Harke, none of the other kids in his grade have gotten to the sphere yet," Monnika whispered proudly. Her face appeared on camera for a second, and she beamed with sheer motherly pride._

"_So, what are you, some kind of genius?" Harke asked Andros, who had heard his mother's boast._

_The boy shrugged. _

"_I'm just kind of... it's fun!" _

_He waved his hands, and the sphere took on a different configuration._

"_Andros, you're doing so well. Look, Karone, look at what Andros can do," Monnika said._

_The girl entered the shot._

"_Come on, Karone, I'll show you," Andros offered. _

"_So what?" Karone muttered. "I can do the rod."_

_The rod. A tool given to first year school children to practice levitating. Karone, being one year behind Andros in school, had just gotten hers._

"_I did the rod last year, too," Andros said, sticking out his tongue. _

"_So?!"_

"_Karone, play nice with your brother," Monnika sighed._

_Karone suddenly looked straight up, directly into the camera lens, and spoke soberly._

"_I saw a monster."_

_Harke and Monnika didn't know what to say, and Andros got to his feet angrily._

"_You did not see any stupid monster! You just keep saying that so Mom and Dad will pay attention to you!"_

"_I did so see a monster! He was big, and tall-"_

_The sphere crashed to the ground, and Andros let out an enraged scream._

"_Look at what you made me do!"_

_He stormed into the house, and Karone began to cry uncontrollably. Harke hurriedly hit what he thought was the "power" button, but was actually the "backlight" button, but didn't give it a second thought._

_He knelt down before the girl, and put his hands on her shoulders._

"_Karone, honey, did you really see a monster? A real, honest monster?"_

_Karone nodded, biting her lip._

"_Are you sure it was a monster, and are you sure it wasn't just your imagination?"_

_Karone hesitated. She suddenly wasn't so sure anymore._

"_Because, you know, sometimes when we look into trees and bushes, our mind plays funny little tricks on us, and we see things that aren't really there. Do you think it was really a monster, or do you think it was your imagination?"_

_Karone shook her head._

"_I don't know, Daddy."_

_Monnika came over, then, and smiled down at the girl._

"_Karone, honey, would it make you feel better if me and Daddy went to go check it out?"_

_Karone nodded vigorously. _

"_Alright. Wait here, honey. We'll be right back."_

_The girl's parents started to stride off together, and Karone felt in her heart that no monster anywhere could have been any match for her mommy and daddy._

"_Mommy! Daddy!" she called after them, a giddy laugh rising to her lips._

_They turned around._

"_Are... are you the Power Rangers?" she asked._

_Harke and Monnika looked at each other with amusement, and Harke lifted a finger to his lips and winked at the girl._

_When they returned, they said the monster took one look at them and left, never to return. Andros and Karone had danced around, begged to see their morphers, acquiesced when Harke and Monnika had told them they could see the morphers when they turned ten. _

_Andros and Karone had made up without words, forgetting everything except the fact that their parents had made such an amazing confession. _

"_But you can't tell anybody," Harke had said sternly, his eyes twinkling. "Ever. You can't tell a soul. You have to promise."_

_The children did so. _

_It was then that they realized they'd left the Hovercam on._


	23. Bliss

And so it was done.

She had killed them.

She had killed her own parents on a far-away planet, and no one knew but her and Dark Specter.

The rushing sound of blood in her head blocked out all her other senses; she saw nothing, heard nothing, felt nothing, wasn't remotely aware of the passing of time.

Over and over again, she heard their screams. Saw their lifeless eyes staring upward, as if imploring their daughter to repent of her crime.

_I did it._

_I did it._

_I did it._

_It was me._

_It was me._

_I did it._

It wasn't until he stood directly over her, casting a large, spiky shadow over her sprawled form, that she registered any type of response.

"My Princess?" he was saying, somewhere. His voice could have been a million light years away. "My Princess?"

Her eyes half-focused.

"I... did it," she croaked.

He hesitated, the significance of what she had said momentarily lost to him.

He crouched next to her.

"You... did what?"

Her face was deathly pale, her eyes staring into nothingness.

"I... I destroyed the Power Rangers," she said in a distant, high-pitched voice.

"My Princess?" Ecliptor was unable to mask the fear in his voice.

"Just like Dark Specter ordered. I destroyed the Power Rangers. I destroyed them."

"Astronema..."

"You didn't tell me," she said, suddenly focusing on him. "You didn't tell me."

"Then..." he shook his head. "You found the answer."

"You didn't tell me. You didn't tell me!"

Her voice was becoming shrill.

"You didn't tell me!"

"My Princess-"

She sat up, suddenly calm.

"You didn't know. Please, please, please tell me you didn't know. Oh, god, please tell me you didn't know."

"Astronema, I swear to you, I didn't know."

"Please, please, please..."

"I didn't know."

"Oh, god. Oh, god. Oh, god. Ecliptor, I didn't know they were my parents."

He shook his head and said nothing.

"I didn't know. They were my own parents and I didn't know them. They were like strangers. They... they WERE strangers. I didn't see them. I swear to god. I didn't see anything except... my own hatred. Ecliptor, how could I do it? How could I?!"

"You were ordered to do so," Ecliptor said calmly. "There is no dishonor in following orders."

"Dishonor?! Dishonor?!" She stared straight ahead. "You would say that."

"Astronema-"

"Oh, god. Ecliptor, what am I going to do?"

She looked at him, and all the light had gone out of her eyes. It was like looking at the little girl who had come into his possession so many years ago; paralyzed by fear, crippled by the unknown, a refugee of an entirely shattered world.

"I do not know, Astronema," he said.

"Oh, god," she said, burying her face in her hands.

"Astronema, I tried to contact you on the ship using their communications systems, but I suppose you had already gone," he said.

What he said was utterly meaningless to her, and she gave him a blank stare.

"I must know; what do you intend to tell the Rangers?"

"The... Rangers?" she asked, as though she didn't understand the significance behind the words.

"What will you tell them?"

She looked away.

"Oh, god. Andros," she breathed. Her eyes widened, and she looked at Ecliptor with horror. "Andros! My god, Andros"

"Yes," Ecliptor nodded thoughtfully. "Indeed."

"He... he doesn't know that it was me."

"Indeed not." Ecliptor paused. "Do you believe that you could keep it a secret from your own brother? Go on living as Karone and never reveal the truth about your parents?"

Astronema gasped, and tears filled her eyes.

"No! No! How... how could I?"

"Then... you're going to tell him the truth."

She shook her head rapidly.

"I can't. I can't. I... I can't. Oh, god, I can't tell him. I can never tell him."

Ecliptor nodded again, then stood up. Astronema looked up at him, hoping that he had a solution.

He always did, after all.

"Then, I don't see where you have much of a choice. You've got to go back to Dark Specter."

She let out an anguished and frustrated cry, and beat her fist into the grass.

"Dark Specter?! He's the one who ordered me to do it! He's the one who destroyed my family! How can you even-"

"Dark Specter can offer you protection. He will keep you safe. And, in time, perhaps-"

Astronema stood up and met his gaze. Her eyes were wild, enraged.

"Protection?! I don't deserve protection!"

"You are the Princess of Darkness," Ecliptor said calmly.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she turned her back to him. He sighed and approached her.

"Astronema, please, listen to me. We've gotten off the ship. I must tell you-"

"Don't talk, Ecliptor," Astronema said in a calm voice. "Don't talk now."

"But, Astronema, it is urgent that you-"

She held out her hand, and her Wrath Staff materialized. He stopped, taking in the silhouette of his Princess, standing tall and regal with her royal staff in hand.

"Ecliptor, I want you to know that I understand why you did what you did," she said coolly. "All of it. The lies. The deception. I understand."

"You... understand?" he asked.

She closed her eyes, and took the staff in both hands.

"Yes. I do," she said.

He took a step toward her, alarmed by her curious words.

"Astronema, what are you talking about?"

"Don't stop me, Ecliptor. Don't protect me anymore."

In that instant, he realized that she had the tip of her Wrath Staff pointed directly at herself, delicately resting against the middle of her stomach.

Her head was tilted upward, looking at the sky. Her demeanor was more peaceful than he had ever seen before, and her expression was one of true bliss.

"Astronema, no!" Ecliptor screamed.

She fired.

He charged her, knocking the Staff out of her now-limp hands. It clattered to the ground mid-blast, purple energy still shooting haphazardly from its tip.

Her expression was blank, uncomprehending, and she fell gracelessly onto her side.

A large, smoldering hole had been burned into her armor, and dark red blood seeped out of her body and into the grass.

He fell to his knees, his hands trembling uncontrollably. He grabbed her hand, felt for a pulse.

She was breathing; shallow little gasps coming almost reluctantly. Her eyes focused on him for a moment, then closed, accompanied by a breathy moan.

"No!" he cried, letting her hand drop. He got to his feet and looked around desperately.

Where were the reinforcements?

"Dark Specter! Please! Please, you must save her! Please! I'll do anything!" he shouted into the emptiness. "Please!"

A moment later, he heard the sound of teleportation, and he whirled around hopefully.

The Power Rangers materialized.

"Karone?" Andros asked immediately, looking around. "This was where I-"

His knees nearly buckled at the sight before him.

"Karone! Oh my GOD!"

The other Rangers rushed over to assess the situation. TJ took her pulse, nodding to Carlos.

"She's alive," he said, glancing behind him at Ecliptor. "Just barely."

"Come on," Cassie cried. "We have to get her back to the ship! Now!"

The four Rangers and Astronema beamed back to the Megaship, and only Andros and Ecliptor remained.

Andros was giving Ecliptor a death glare.

"What have you done to her?!" he demanded. "What the hell is going on here?!"

"I tried to stop her," Ecliptor said weakly, dropping to his knees. "I tried to stop her."

"What the hell happened?!"

Ecliptor looked at Andros and shook his head. He said nothing.

Andros turned away from him furiously.

"You're not coming back on the ship. You'll wait for me here, and then you'll explain everything."

He looked back over his shoulder, started to speak, then thought better of it and returned to the ship without another word.


	24. Such a Brave Girl

_And then, unannounced, slowly, almost cautiously, came the pain. _

_She couldn't breathe. She couldn't even remember how to breathe; or at least, how to breathe successfully. Every attempt that she made to fill her lungs came up terrifyingly short, and in her hysterical state, she wasted what little air remained in her lungs on a pathetic half-scream._

_Her eyes darted back and forth as she scanned the area for her parents, the only people in the entire world who could make the pain go away. _

_Make it go away. Make it go away! I'm sorry! I'm sorry I-_

_And then, in the same instant, as if she had willed them to come, there they were. There they were; loving, caring. Her parents, her saviors. _

_"Mommy," she croaked, hyperventilating. "Mommy... it... hurts!"_

_Warm, strong arms wrapped around her small body, and she let her tears flow freely against her mother's chest. Monnika whispered meaningless half-words to her daughter, and snapped another set of meaningless half-words at Harke. _

_Everyone was talking strangely. Voices overlapped, one sentence seemed to run directly into another in a meaningless jumble Everything was moving so slowly and yet so quickly at the same time, and it hurt so bad and why weren't they making it stop hurting?! _

_And then they were walking. Walking, and Monnika was still murmuring, almost hypnotically murmuring words that made no sense and changed nothing. Half of what she said didn't even come in her own voice. _

_She desperately pled for help._

_"Mommy, Daddy, it's my-"_

_And what was it, anyway? What was it anyway it didn't matter because it BURNED now it BURNED and why wasn't it STOPPING._

_"Karone, honey, you're being such a brave girl. You're being such a brave girl. Such a brave girl such a brave girl such a-"_

_But it BURNED and it BURNED. Why did it burn so badly?! Who cared how brave she was and why wasn't it stopping?! _

_"You're being such a brave girl." It was all Monnika said._

_"But It HURTS so-"_

_And they were in the car. She could see Andros' dark eyes staring at her from the front seat, and the look on his face sent waves of terror through her; he was clearly convinced that he was looking at his sister for the last time. _

_"Is Karone gonna die?" Andros asked his parents. "Is she gonna die? Karone, are you gonna die?"_

_Her heart skipped a beat._

_"Is she gonna die?"_

_No. No. No! She wasn't going to die! She wasn't going to die!_

_"She's not going to-"_

_"Is she gonna-"_

_She COULDN'T die! _

_"Karone?" Andros' voice was nearly hysterical. "Karone, can you hear me?"_

_Who cared if she could hear him?! Why wasn't the pain stopping?_

_Her mother's eyes were calm, almost inappropriately so. She stroked her daughter's head, and the strokes seemed to come in perfect time with the girl's racing pulse. _

_"Karone, can you-"_

_"She's not going to die!" Harke's voice, from the driver's seat, rang out sharply. He glared at his son. "You hear me? She's not going to die!"_

_"I just-" he looked back at Karone. "Can you hear me? You're going to-"_

_"...Such a brave girl. Such a brave-"_

_Why wasn't the pain stopping?_

_"Harke, she's got to have the-" something. A big word that meant medicine and medicine meant feeling all better all better all better see, Mommy? All better. _

_"I'm driving as fast as I can! Can't you see the god damn traffic? What do you want me to do, drive on top of all these cars?!" Harke slammed his fists on the dashboard. _

_Andros still stared at his sister with hollow eyes._

_"Is she going to die?"_

_"Karone, you're being such a brave girl. Such a brave-" _

_Another voice._

_"Karone, you're going to be okay, you're on board the-"_

_Shut up and just make it STOP. Make it STOP. Make it stop make it stop BURNING._

_"See, Karone?" Andros' face, half-grinning, half-horrified. "I drew you a-" something. "You can put it on your-" something SHUT UP AND MAKE IT STOP BURNING._

_"Is she going to die-"_

_NO PLEASE I don't want to DIE! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die just please make it STOP! _

_"Karone, are you going to die?"_

_NO! MAKE IT STOP BURNING. I don't want to DIE!_

_"Andros, she's coming around-"_

_"Harke, she's got to have the-"_

_"I'm driving as fast as I can, can't you see the god damn-" _

_Andros' voice, then, shrill and pleading._

_"It's not my fault! It's not my fault!"_

_Then, calm._

_"Is Karone going to die?"_

_MAKE IT STOP BURNING! I'll do ANYTHING anything ANYTHING if you will just PLEASE MAKE IT-_

_ "It wasn't my fault!"_

_STOP!_

_"Karone, you're being such a brave girl!"_

_"I didn't see her, I didn't see her! I swear she-"_

_"What do you want me to do-"_

_I DON'T WANT TO DIE! I DON'T WANT TO DIE! DON'T LET ME DIE!_

_"Karone!"_

_"It's not my fault!"_

_I DON'T WANT TO DIE! ANDROS YOU CAN'T LET ME DIE! You can't let me die, because then you'll never know-_

_"It's all my fault!" Sobs. _

_"Is Karone going to die?"_

_JUST MAKE IT STOP BURNING!_

_"You're being so-"_

_MAKE IT STOP!_

_"I drew you a-"_

_"I'm driving as fast as I-"_

_"It's not my-"_

_MAKE IT-_

_"You're being such a brave girl."_

_-STOP! I DON'T WANT TO DIE!_

_"It's all-"_

* * *

"-My fault," Andros was saying, his eyes closed, a pained expression on his face.

The Rangers were aboard the Megaship, all five of them flocking anxiously around the Medical Bay while Alpha kept a close watch on Astronema's condition.

She was stable, and he had been able to sedate her while he cleaned her wound and removed the pieces of shattered metal that had embedded themselves in her skin. He insisted to the Rangers that it could have been much worse, though none of them had ever seen such a hideous injury in person before, and each of them doubted the sincerity of the robot's words.

She was going to survive, though. That much was certain. Her body would recover, leaving her with a series of scars, but a body as fully functional as it had ever been.

The state of her soul, on the other hand, was much harder to determine. None of the Rangers was ready to leave her side now; they realized that they were overcompensating for their earlier negligence, but all the same, they could hardly bring themselves to turn away from the unconscious figure on the cot for fear that something else would happen to her while their backs were turned.

Alpha took a second to give Andros a comforting pat on the back.

"It's not your fault, Andros," the robot said with his usual cheer. "And, like I said, it could have been much worse!"

"That's not the point. I should have stayed with her."

"Any one of us could say the same thing," Cassie said, dully.

Andros sighed.

"I just don't understand how-"

"Andros, she's coming around!" Ashley hissed, looking down at Astronema's grimacing face. He quickly turned away from Alpha, and hovered over his sister, stroking her brow and giving her what he hoped was a comforting smile.

"Karone, can you hear me?" he asked gently. "You're on board the Megaship. You had a-- an accident. But you're okay now. You're going to be okay."

Her eyelids fluttered, and she seemed to have difficulty focusing on him. She mumbled something in a breathless tone that was impossible to understand.

"Wh-what did you say, Karone?" Andros asked in a quavering voice.

She repeated what she said, and Andros understood it this time. His eyes widened, and he stared at her in disbelief.

"Andros?" Carlos asked. "What did she say?"

"She-" Andros shook his head and backed away from his sister. "She said... 'Harke and Monnika are dead'."

The other Rangers looked at each other, puzzled. Alpha stepped forward with what he was certain was a logical explanation:

"She's under the influence of very strong sedatives."

"Who are Harke and Monnika?" Cassie asked, holding Astronema's hand.

Andros looked at them soberly.

"My-- _our_ parents."


	25. It's For the Kids

_"Surprise!"_

_Harke's__ voice, behind the camera, and almost ludicrously enthusiastic for a man of his age, reached a pitch too high for the __Hovercam's__ built-in microphone to properly process. As a result, the disc's audio became slightly distorted for the next seven and a half seconds. _

_"Turn around, Honey, let me see the look on your face when you see what I've got."_

_Monnika's back was to the camera. Harke idly zoomed in on the back of his wife's head while he waited for a __response,__ and he gave an approving little grunt as the lens took in each and every spiral and curlicue of Monnika's ash blonde hair. _

_"Harke, shame on you.__It's__ broad daylight, and the kids are right outside," Monnika said with amused exasperation. "Someone is going to see you."_

_"I say let them see," Harke said. "Not everybody's got one of these babies." _

_Monnika laughed quietly and shook her head._

_"Well, somebody certainly has a high opinion of-" she turned around, took one look at Harke, and jumped backward, her hand to her chest. "__Harke !Oh__, my- What is that thing?! __Why are you pointing it at-- is that on?!"_

_"Well, sure it's on!"_

_"What is it?" Monnika's eyes narrowed. _

_"You ask if it's on, and then you wonder what it __is?__" Harke laughed."That's my girl. This is-"_

_"Oh, don't you 'that's my girl' me. I know what it is. I want to know what it's doing here."_

_ Harke set it down on the table then; still recording. He bent over and peeked into the camera lens with one eyebrow raised. He stroked his chin in mock thought. The sound of Monnika's laughter pierced the microphone._

_"No, no, now, if you're going to do that... did you buy that thing?!"_

_"No, I put it down my pants and ran out the door. If the cops come, remember, you've never met me." _

_"We can't afford it." __A clatter of dishes.__ "Do the kids know yet?"_

_"No-"_

_"No, Harke, really, did you show the kids? __Because if you haven't shown the kids yet, it's not too late to take it back."__ Monnika giggled and peeked into the lens. "Oh, my gosh, I-- you've got to take it back right now, I'm going to want to keep it if you don't. Why do you do things like this? Bringing home things like this that you know we can't afford. But it's not too late-"_

_"It's—well, yes, it is too late to take it back, Monnika."_

_"Why?"_

_"It's much too- too late-"_

_"No, why is it too late? It isn't too late. You can get your money back-"_

_"It's too-"_

_A door opened. Monnika gasped and hissed at Harke to hide the camera. _

_"You want me to do what?" Harke asked teasingly._

_"Harke, we __can not__ afford one of those! You have got to take it back!"_

_"I think we can afford-"_

_"No! We can't!" Monnika had become giddy, and was trying her hardest not to laugh. She was determined to be taken seriously, but was having a hard time keeping a straight face. _

_Andros was saying __something,__ and Harke reached for the camera. Monnika gasped and grabbed his hand, hissing "No!__"._

_"What's that, Andros?" Harke asked._

_"Karone's eating the- the __pinserberries__!" the young boy complained. _

_"Oh no," Monnika moaned. Harke reached for the camera __again,__ and she slapped his hand and shot him an exasperated look. "I told you kids those aren't ready to pick yet-"_

_"She's got juice all over her clothes!" Andros yelled. _

_"I told you kids-"_

_"But, but, but, I didn't eat any of them! Look!" Andros raised his hands; they were grubby, sticky, covered in dried mud and grass, but indeed, there was no trace of __pinserberry__ juice. "Clean!"_

_"Oh, Andros, I asked you to watch your sister-" Monnika had to slap __Harke's__ hand again. She glared at him while trying not to laugh. The innocent expression on his face was both infuriating and hilarious to her, and she shook her head and approached her son. "Come __on,__ let's go see how bad the damage is."_

_Harke had since picked up the camera with his wife's back turned, and he said to the two of them as they went toward the door;_

_"I can't believe you're going to investigate a crime scene without your camera."_

_Andros turned around, curious as to what Harke had meant, and as the realization of the fact that his father was holding a real live __Hovercam__ dawned on him, his face lit up with an expression of pure, unbridled ecstasy. Monnika glared at Harke and shook her head, knowing that now that the child knew they had one, they'd never be able to return it and still stay in the boy's good graces._

_"A HOVERCAM!"__ Andros shrieked, jumping up and down frantically. "Is it REAL?! Does it WORK?! Am I on the Kaysis?! I'm FAMOUS!"_

_"You're more famous than __Jonn__Weynn__. Smile for your close-up," Harke said, zooming in on the boy's face. _

_Monnika sighed and put her hands on her hips. _

_"Harke, we really... I wish we had discussed this first."_

_"I'm FAMOUS!" Andros squealed. "I'm gonna-- I'm gonna have my own show on the Kaysis! I'm gonna-"_

_"Don't forget about Karone and those __pinserberries__," Harke said. _

_"I'm gonna have my own show and- and everyone's gonna-" Andros danced around in an uncoordinated circle."And I'm gonna be __famouser__ than-"_

_"Monnika, don't be mad. It didn't cost as much as you think. Really," Harke said._

_"How much did it cost, Dad?" Andros asked. "A billion million trillion-"_

_"You know, it's for the kids," Harke continued. "They're only young once. Before we know it, they're going to be all grown up-"_

_"Was it a trillion million billion-" Andros hopped on one foot, keeping his eyes on the camera lens and a great smile on his face._

_Monnika sighed._

_"Well, what's done is done. But I just know you've doomed us to at least four months of leftovers."_

_"Leftovers are good," Harke said. "Now, wait a minute, I've got to see if I can find the- no, that isn't it-"_

_The screen went blank._


	26. Guess

_"Andros, what's that you've got?" __Harke's__ voice, kind, interested, amused-but-trying-not-to-show-it, served as narration for the seemingly meaningless activity he was capturing on the __Hovercam_

_The boy looked up reluctantly from what he was doing. To him, the act of wrapping leaves around a large stick was clearly the most important thing he could possibly be doing, and he was irked that he was being interrupted._

_ Suddenly aware that he was on camera, however, he took on an air of self-importance, and began to explain in great detail how he was making an exact replica of the Spiral Saber, used by the legendary Red Power Ranger during the battle of KO98._

_"It looks just like it," Harke said, zooming in on the stick. It looked nothing like a sword, but the boy beamed happily and proceeded to show off his "fighting skills", which consisted of swinging the sword about haphazardly and yelling incomprehensibly._

_"Yikes! Great and mighty warrior, I beg of you, spare my village!" Harke said in mock horror._

_Andros was panting, and he grinned up into the camera._

_"You got lucky this time! I'm a Power Ranger, __sweared__ to protect and, um, not beat people up! __Unless you're a monster!"_

_"Do I look like a monster?" Harke asked, and the boy appeared to be deep in thought. "Huh? Do I?"_

_"Nope!"__ Andros grinned again. "You look like my dad!"_

_"I get that a lot. So, you're really a Power Ranger?" _

_"Yep!__ Um, hey, Dad, can you guess which color Power Ranger I am?"_

_Despite the fact that Andros had just said he was using the Red Ranger's weapon, the boy was at the stage where he thought he knew more than his parents, and believed that he was an enigma, dark and mysterious._

_"Well, I don't know if I can guess, son. There are so many colors you could be!"_

_"Yep!__Six of them!"_

_"Six?!__ How am I ever going to guess?"_

_Andros giggled self-indulgently._

_"Guess, Dad!"_

_"We're going to be here all night!" Harke cried. _

_"Guess!"_

_"Okay, here goes."_

_"Guess!"_

_"Uh... __a big, strong, tough guy like__ you... I bet you're the..." Harke made a great show of rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "I bet you're the Pink Ranger!"_

_Andros exploded with giggles and "__Ew"s_

_"Dad!__ The Pink Ranger is a LADY!" _

_"A lady?__ You mean like a girl-lady?"_

_"Pink is a GIRL color!" Andros giggled, hopping around as if to cleanse __himself__ of any imagined femininity. _

_"Yeah?__ Okay, then, I bet you're the..."_

_"Not pink!" Andros reminded him._

_"No? Oh, darn, I was going to say pink!" Harke teased._

_"You already said pink!"_

_"I did?"_

_"Yeah!__ Remember?"_

_"Oh, boy, Andros, good thing you're here to help your old dad remember things. I would have said pink again!"_

_"You just __gotta__, um..." Andros paused, trying to think of a way to advise his dad to improve his memory. "Think of a color that's not pink!"_

_"I'll try, son. I'll try. How about..." Harke scrunched up his face, deep in mock thought. "Yellow?"_

_"No, dad!__ That's a girl color, too!" _

_"Are you sure?"_

_"Yeah!__ Pink and yellow are girl colors!"_

_"You're not taking your old dad for a ride, are you?" Harke asked._

_Andros was eating up the __attention,__ and he shook his head. _

_"You're not making a monkey out of me?"_

_Andros giggled._

_"They're girl colors."_

_"Okay, okay. I believe you, son. If you aren't pink, and you aren't yellow..."_

_Andros visibly swelled with pride and anticipation._

_"Then, you must be-"_

_He was suddenly interrupted by sounds of feminine chatter, and he turned toward the sound. The smile left Andros' face._

_"Hey, look __who's__ back from the market!" Harke exclaimed._

_Monnika held two large baskets full of fruits and vegetables in her hands, and beside her, five year old Karone held a bright orange melon that was almost as large as she was._

_"What have you got?" Harke asked, laughing as he zoomed in on his daughter. "It's a walking melon! It's a melon with legs!"_

_Karone began unintelligibly explaining, and Monnika laughed._

_"Karone picked it out all by herself!"_

_"She did? She picked out that man-eating melon?"_

_"It's not a man-eating melon!" Karone cried. "It's a-- we're gonna eat it!"_

_Andros suddenly ran over to his mother and began babbling about his __sword,__ and implored Monnika to guess which __Ranger he was._

_"Andros, son, let's let Mommy and Karone put the groceries away first, huh?"__ Harke asked._

_Andros pouted disgracefully, and ran back over to where he had left his sword. He began to carry it into the house._

_"Oh, Andros, honey," Monnika said, "Don't bring leaves and sticks into the house. Leave it by the door, okay? It won't get lost."_

_Karone said something, and Andros angrily snapped his stick in two, __then stormed__ off._

_Monnika shot a concerned glance at __Harke,__ and Karone looked up at her mother worriedly._

_"Andros is mad, huh?"_

_Monnika rubbed her daughter's head absently._

_"Yeah, honey, Andros is mad. Turn that off, will you?" she asked Harke._

_"Yeah, alright, I'll turn-"_


	27. Complicated

This would have been the fourth time Ashley had attempted to get Andros' attention, had he not turned to face her at the precise moment that she was preparing to tap his shoulder.

He touched the control panel with the minimum amount of force necessary to trigger the command he desired, and the viewscreen went blank. Ashley glanced at the viewscreen, then back at Andros.

He had already turned away from her again, and she sharply exhaled.

"Andros, listen-"

"I remembered this," he interrupted her. He gestured at the viewscreen, where, a moment earlier, a video of his childhood had been playing. "The day my dad got the Hovercam. I remember how my mom thought he was crazy; nobody had Hovercams back then. Half the people we knew didn't even have a Kaysis, but my dad... he was always ahead of the curve."

Ashley frowned. She didn't know what a Hovercam or a Kaysis was, but she decided not to break his train of thought.

"My dad would turn the Hovercam on for anything. Any dumb little thing." He let out a little half-laugh. "But, he always said that Karone and I would only be kids once and the discs we made would always remind us of what it was like to be young. He said that's something that people tend to forget when they grow up."

Ashley nodded thoughtfully. Indeed, it did seem at times that Andros had entirely forgotten what it was to be young. Sometimes she wondered if he ever had been a child; the visual and auditory confirmation that, yes, Andros had once been an innocent little boy was definitely a powerful thing to witness.

The little boy she had seen on the screen was very different from the man she had come to know and... love? Yes, it was safe to say she loved him. It was safe to say it now, and the realization gave her a tingly, warm feeling. This was neither the time nor the place to come to such a conclusion, but nonetheless it had happened.

But she had to dismiss it. She had to, just for now. She would remember it later, and the feelings would return. Perhaps they would not be as strong, as raw, as fresh, but she couldn't afford to let her emotions get in the way of dealing with what was turning into a very precarious situation.

Andros, however, had succumbed to the grip of strong, overwhelming emotion as a result of viewing his old family discs, and he was unable to hold back a deep, shaky sigh.

"You know, that day... I think I almost hated her. In fact, I know I did."

"Andros, you were a kid," Ashley said gently. "How you felt back then isn't important now."

But Andros had composed himself, and he looked at her soberly.

"My sister could have died today. She could have died and I don't even know why. I don't know why… any of this is happening."

He gestured at the viewscreen.

"I thought maybe watching this would help. Everything was so simple back then, I thought. I loved Karone, she loved me, our parents loved both of us." He shook his head. "Now, I watch it, and I realize… it was every bit as complicated back then as it is now."

"Yeah," Ashley nodded. "It's funny how we forget that."

They were silent for a moment, and Ashley rubbed his shoulder.

"Andros, what do you think she meant?"

"I'm afraid of what she could have meant. I just have to keep telling myself she was delirious. That's the only way I can keep from going crazy."

Ashley shook her head.

"Andros, it's okay-"

"Is somebody with her?" Andros asked suddenly.

"Yeah, Cassie and Alpha."

"Good."

He had begun to pace, and Ashley felt deeply uneasy.

"Andros, listen... I came to tell you that Alpha scanned Karone's armor."

Andros glanced at her, a slightly puzzled frown on his face.

"He scanned it to determine the source of her... what happened to her," Ashley continued. "Andros... the blast came from her staff."

Andros stared at her.

"I mean, I... I don't know what it means-"

Andros suddenly pushed past her and hurriedly left the bridge.

"Andros? Andros, wait! Where are you-"

TJ suddenly stepped into Andros' path, and in his hand was a black and green data card. Andros glared at TJ impatiently, and Ashley entered the corridor.

"This," TJ said, "Is why we changed course without being notified."

Andros glanced back at Ashley, and she stepped forward.

"What is it?"

"It's a control card. It's used to override command of vessels. Where did you find it?" Andros asked, already knowing the answer.

"The cargo bay," TJ sighed. "He broke through the wall panels to find a command console, and he used this to hijack the ship. If he'd have wanted to, he could have taken us anywhere."

Ashley shook her head angrily.

"I can't believe it."

TJ sighed.

"Yeah, and that isn't all. Someone blew out the forcefield around the cargo bay... from the outside."

Andros' eyes widened, and Ashley looked at the two men worriedly.

"But, Ecliptor couldn't have... the only person who could have done that would have been..."

"He has to have coerced her into doing it," Andros said. "I can't believe that she'd... I won't believe it."

"Something doesn't make add up, though," Ashley mused. "If they had control of the ship, and they could have gone anywhere... why go to KO35?"

"Depends on who was calling the shots," TJ shrugged.

"I can understand, at least I think I can understand why Karone would want to go there," Andros said. "But if she wanted to go home, why didn't she ask us? Something isn't right."

"Anyway," TJ sighed. "We've answered the 'how.'"

"Which only leaves about a hundred 'why's."


	28. Nothingness

And then, the burning resumed. All at once, out of the cool, black comfort of nothingness, of knowing nothing and feeling nothing, came awareness. And with the awareness, came the pain.

The physical pain in her abdomen. Deep, pulsating agony that came in waves. And the emotional pain, pain which had no face, no motivation. In the stupor of the first few moments of consciousness, she could remember nothing, only that a terrible thing had happened.

Her eyes scanned her surroundings. Color first. Blurred masses of formless color. And then shape. Doors. A ceiling. Walls.

Movement.

The robot. His name...

It wasn't important.

He was saying something. It. It was saying something. Producing a sound. Producing words.

"...Karone..."

_Don't call me that._

A coherent thought. And at once, she longed for her earlier moments of ignorance, for she remembered it all. A few seconds worth of memories, thoughts, images; all so intense that she gasped, truly overwhelmed.

She remembered everything now.

_No._

She was aboard the Megaship. There was the robot--_Alpha_. Alpha. Alpha. Alpha. And the Pink Ranger. _Oh, the Pink Ranger, oh, that fool._

Her face was so _kind_, the Pink Ranger's, as she appeared at Astronema's bedside. So concerned. So thankful. Weary, decidedly weary. Tired, blinking eyes. A pale complexion. She had been worried sick, driven to tears, so strong was her fear for the welfare of the woman who had only a few days ago been her enemy.

Astronema could not meet the Cassie's eyes. The pain in her chest (_guilt_, they'd call it) served as a distraction from the pain in her belly. An unwelcome distraction.

"Hey," Cassie said, as though she were greeting a friend. "Don't try to get up. You..."

She couldn't finish the sentence. Astronema looked at her, unable to mask her contempt. _Yes, I. Tell me all about what I've done. If you can even speak the words._

Predictably, Cassie couldn't. Or, perhaps, wouldn't.

"Are you okay?" she eventually asked in a dull voice.

"No," Astronema said automatically.

"You're in pain?" Cassie gestured to Alpha, who approached silently, a medical injection device in hand.

Astronema recoiled; would have sat up if she had been able.

"What is that?"

"Medicine. Uh... for..." Cassie trailed off.

"Get that away from me," Astronema snapped. "Don't touch me, either of you."

In that moment, she caught a glimpse of herself; her body. She was naked, or at least almost so; only a thin, blue sleeveless gown and a thick layer of bandages covered her small frame. Her protective armor was nowhere to be found. Her pale, almost translucent flesh was a shock to her eyes; when was the last time she had actually seen herself? She never removed her full-body suit and armor, not even to sleep. It got so that the stifling, chafing, sticky vinyl was a second skin to her.

They had seen it. They had seen _her_ Someone had bandaged her body; someone had removed (cut off, perhaps) her clothing. Unlatched the closures that held her rock-hard, unforgiving chest plate in place. Put their hands on her bare skin, a thing that she and Dark Specter had agreed was expressly forbidden. Her body was a sacred thing; a thing apart from her, above her. For years she had bandaged her own wounds, had dealt silently and stoically with her own pain and her own physical affairs. She was sterile, clean, perpetually untouched. There were many things that she was not even aware that her body could do; many things that it must never do.

She was filled with terror and revulsion. That these creatures had treated her like some common animal; a Mandorian draft goat that stepped on a thorn, perhaps; grabbed by the horns, kicking and flailing, held down by rough, careless hands, unaware, uncaring, irreverent as they roughly squeezed and prodded and yanked and pulled the thorn free. Leaving her, then, to fend for herself with an oozing, open wound and a violated spirit.

She hated them. God, how she hated them.

"Karone, please, you must be in pain. That's gotta hurt like--"

"Don't _call me that!_"

Cassie stepped back, a stricken look on her face.

"I'm... sorry."

Alpha began an unsolicited and unwanted oral evaluation of Astronema's physical condition. The prognosis was good, great. Miraculous. She was strong, so strong, and she would be good as new before long.

Cassie burned, Astronema could tell, to ask what had happened. To comfort this pained soul, to offer reassurance, absolution, sympathy, pity.

Astronema said nothing. She turned her head toward the bedside table, and something caught her eye. A garment, or so it appeared. A folded, thick, grey garment. Grey and... her eyes could just make out a hint of purple.

And she was trapped. Cassie's eyes followed her gaze, and a genuine smile crossed her tired face.

"Surprise," she said quietly.

Astronema looked at her.

"_Surprise?_" she repeated, weakly.

"Well," Cassie said lightly, softly, "We decided... all of us, that you needed something from us to help you feel more like part of the family. So, we decided to..."

The words she had obviously planned to say wouldn't come out well, no matter how she said them. In light of what had happened, in light of Astronema's words and attitude, the sentimental intentions were all but buried under the unrelenting tension between them.

"Part of the family," Astronema whispered. Were those tears? An inelegant solution.

She had had a fine solution not that long ago. A solution to everything; both inside her mind and out. How ironic, yet how typical; once again, the Rangers thwarted her attempts at victory, or even at peace, if even for a moment.

They had brought her here, when she should have died on KO35. They had brought her here and given their all to save her.

Ah! And, there, she had thought it. So easy! So simple. The truth, at last.

And the tears were gone. The emotion, the tenderness, the weakness, all gone. And the guilt? The guilt was a convenient little tool, she supposed, for sharpening her desire to die. But it was a needless complication. She had made her decision, she had fought her battle, and she had lost.

And this idiotic woman spoke of _family_.

"Anyway, that's for later. When you feel better. You shouldn't have even seen it; pretend you didn't. It was supposed to be a surprise." A little laugh as Cassie rounded the bed and snatched up the clothing.

She didn't understand. Or, maybe, she did. The Pink Ranger understood more than she let on, she saw more than she admitted and she had a strong enough imagination to fill in the blanks. And it was entirely possible that the Pink Ranger, that Cassie, knew everything and chose to set that knowledge aside and proceed with a hypocritical charade.

It was a talent wasted on her, that much was certain.

Astronema closed her eyes. She needed to get out of there. Again.

But _the pain._ She wouldn't make it far; indeed, she wouldn't make it into a seated position without something to dull her senses.

"Robot," she said suddenly. _Alpha, my name is--_ "Give me that medicine, after all. It's for pain?"

Alpha was taken aback, or at least, he gave an accurate imitation of being surprised.

"That's right, Karone. Is it bad?"

"Give it to me," Astronema snapped.

"Karone, I'm going to get Andros," Cassie said. "He'll be glad to hear--"

"No."

"What?"

"No. The _medicine!_"

Alpha came to her bedside, injector in hand.

"Karone, why don't you want me to--"

"Stop _calling me that!_" Astronema cried, and in a flash, she snatched the injector out of Alpha's hand. "I'll do it myself."

She injected too much. Far too much, and not nearly enough. Her nerves continued to scream, her head continued to buzz.

"Karone, that's enough! Oh, my god, Karone--"

It was empty. And she was sitting up. Sitting, shaking, shuddering. An infant learning to support its own weight for the first time. The room spun.

What had they _done_ to her? What had she done to herself?

"Andros, you better get down here," Cassie was saying. "It's Karone, oh, man, Andros..."

"Keep him away!" Astronema said. The effort it took to say the words! Had they even come out right?

She leaned over the edge of the bed. Her legs were within her control, she knew they were. Just a simple swing. It was only a matter of _getting_...

Cassie was at her side again, her strong hands on Astronema's shoulders.

"Karone, you have to lie back down. Come on, just lie--"

"Don't..."

A little push. Astronema flailed a bit, struggled to free herself.

"Karone..."

"_Don't touch me!_"

Her arm flew forward in a wide, clumsy upward swing. She felt the impact, felt her clenched fingers smashing against firm bone and cartilage, felt the sting in her own digits and the sudden warm spray of the other girl's blood on the back of her hand.

Cassie fell backward, her hands flying to her face. Astronema shot her a cursory glance and a small, half giggle erupted from her lips.

"Sorry!" she exclaimed.

Giddiness rose in her chest, and a full laugh came.

"Sorry!" she repeated.

She shakily slid off the edge of the bed, unguarded, unflanked. Alpha had rushed to Cassie's side, and with the brief distraction, Astronema pushed herself to her feet.

A step. Two steps. The blue gown swished between her knees, and air penetrated the pores of the fabric and touched every inch of her body as she walked. A light, almost ticklish sensation. Her entire body tingled.

The medicine _worked_. A sense of defiant euphoria washed over her, and she glanced back at Cassie and Alpha. A sudden desire to say something came over her.

"Sorry," was all she said, a third time.

The pain was gone. She shook and trembled with each step, her vision blurred, her head spun and her mouth was painfully dry. But the pain was gone.

"Karone!" Cassie exclaimed from behind her, her voice muffled.

The pain was _gone_.

She didn't notice that anything was wrong until she felt herself hit the floor. And, by that time, it was too late. Andros, Ashley, and TJ were all there. All of them had their hands on her, all of them. Everywhere. They easily overpowered her, they easily dragged her back to the bed.

She wanted to scream. To protest. They had no right, they had no right, they had no right, they had no...

Blackness again. Nothingness.


	29. Temptation

Time had no meaning now. No, nor location, nor regard for anything physical.

He had no heart to feel pounding with tension and fear. He had no mind to race with thoughts; or, at least, he shouldn't have had such a thing. He was disciplined, highly disciplined. Disciplined to the point where he had had, not that long ago, to force himself, with great difficulty, to relearn how to speak when it wasn't entirely necessary. To carry on a conversation consisting of more than a series of subtle nods and gestures.

It had comforted her so, to hear him speak to her. To hear his words, to hear his thoughts, his advice. She had, in her early days, in her childish way, all but begged him not to leave her in silence; though she was so young and the words he spoke often made no sense to her, she would do her best to answer him and contribute to the "conversation".

As she grew, of course, her need for constant reassurance lessened, to the point where she now did most of the speaking herself, by way of words, or of the subtle gestures and eye contact he had relied so heavily upon.

_Do not speak unless it is necessary. Suppress it all. It will weaken you. Never stop to think. Never stop to consider. Act. Act. Act. Act._

He was a _machine_. He was built that way. It was natural for him. And now, it was so distant. So unattainable. That blissful automation had left him, all at once, it had gone from him and he knew no way to reclaim it.

He could not act. He could not suppress this. He was weakened. He hadn't even noticed the shift in weather, the growing darkness, the chill. He hadn't moved in hours.

He could not regain control.

* * *

"Now, here's something I don't get, Boss," Elgar said suddenly.

"Should I pretend to be surprised? I should warn you, I don't think I have that kind of acting range," Darkonda snapped.

"Whoa, touchy! So, uh, really, though. Before, I coulda sworn you said this was going to be a... you know, right? A ambush."

"How nice for you. You were actually paying attention."

"You'd be surprised at all the stuff I can do, if you just gimme a chance! I can wash the dishes, and I can... well, except, I kinda hate washing the dishes, because I kind of have this thing about manual labor. See, it's my hands. My Auntie D used to--"

"And you were wondering why we're just sitting here, cloaked, without making our presence known to the Rangers!" Darkonda interrupted.

"No. What?"

Darkonda sighed. "I've been in the game a long time, my friend. A long, long time. I didn't survive this long by being an idiot."

"Really? I did."

Darkonda shook his head with a mixture of sadness and dismissiveness.

"I won't pretend that the Rangers aren't powerful."

"Ooh! Can I, then?" Elgar reached into his pocket and pulled out two plastic Power Ranger action figures. He held up the Red Ranger figure and said, in a deep voice, "I'm not powerful! La la la, look at me! I'm not powerful! I just dropped my sword on the floor!"

"Idiot!" Darkonda snarled, thwacking Elgar with the back of his hand. The action figures clattered to the floor.

"Oh, man, would you look at that! His head fell off!" Elgar cried.

"Unfortunately, in reality, it won't be that easy!" Darkonda turned his back to Elgar. "Alone, the Rangers have enough power to harm me greatly. With Astronema and my equal in name only as allies..."

"That'll be your head on the floor. Or else mine. I don't know. Do you got any glue?"

"I know Ecliptor better than he thinks. He wouldn't lead us right into a nice little victory. He might even hate me more than he hates the Rangers. No, I know him, and I also know that this is a trap."

"A snare!"

"He believes he has the upper hand here. He, and Astronema, and the Rangers. Now, what kind of fool would I be to make my presence known at a time like this?"

"But we've been here for, like, ever."

"And we will stay here as long as it takes for..." a control panel caught his eye. "Proximity alert. What is this?"

"Ooh! Hold on, wait, I know this one! The proximity alert is a device which alerts you to the proxy of the committee!"

"A vessel is approaching."

"Well, that one's a stumper."

Darkonda brought the data up on the view screen, and a twisted sort of glee came over him as he zoomed in on what revealed itself to be the Mega Winger, piloted by the Silver Ranger.

"Naturally, they brought help. Ecliptor, your lack of subtlety never ceases to amaze me. 'They suspect nothing' indeed."

"Hey, I got that toy! It's in my room!" Elgar screamed, pointing at the view screen. "I might let you play with it, except, dude... you're really not very careful with my stuff."

"It's so tempting. Ah... I could shoot him out of the stars right now, you know that? The satisfaction I'd feel... would it be worth the consequences?"

"I don't know. Hey, is Ecliptor dead?"

"It would be quick. So quick..."

"Cause, the thing is... he looks kind of dead."

"Who does?"

"Ec."

Darkonda glanced at Elgar.

"What are you talking about?"

"On the planet. You know, Ecliptor? He's that green guy who I used to work with. Well, I mean, I kinda... _he_ kind of worked _under_ me, if you want the truth--"

"What are you TALKING about? What planet?"

He shoved Elgar aside and noted the control panel which had been following the tracking coordinates Ecliptor had given them. He switched the view on the screen to a wide shot of Ecliptor, knelt down on the surface of KO35.

"I know, you see? How dead he looks?"

"Dead nothing. He looks like a decoy. And damn him, he's tempting me."

Elgar gave him a strange look.

"Do you two want to be alone?"

Darkonda looked back at him.

"Yes. I've got a few words for him."

He turned and prepared to leave the Dark Fortress.

"Oh, but, whoa! Hey, whoa, wait now. Hold on. What happened to that thing you said before, about the stuff? And the..."

"Hold our position. Oh, listen to me. As if you'd know how not to hold our position. Just don't touch anything. And if I give the order to fire, fire."

"Got it. Don't hold the position of the touch fire order. Hey, maybe when all this is over, you can teach me some of this technical evil bad guy mumbo jumbo, huh? Because to me, it kinda just sounds like gibberish."

"No."


	30. Ambush?

They weren't her footfalls, nor, he realized, were they the light, quiet, almost airy steps of the Rangers. This knowledge should have triggered a self-preservation algorithm. He should have at least turned to meet the eyes of the approaching creature. He should have at least moved so that he was not exposed and vulnerable to potential attack.

"You're pathetic." Darkonda's voice. Darkonda's words.

He tried in vain to summon up a calm facade, but in this moment, the rivalry he shared with the traitor meant little. In this moment, he knew what an advantage Darkonda now had. He was equally certain that the beast would not once hesitate to use the advantage.

And he found that, ultimately, he _did not care_. Not for himself, for his mission, or for anything.

"Well, are you even going to say hello?" Darkonda asked with mock hurt in his voice. "After I came all this way on your word?"

Ecliptor had nothing to say to him, and they both knew it, but Darkonda was not about to let the opportunity to torment his old rival pass him by.

"So," Darkonda said casually, stepping into Ecliptor's line of vision. "Where are our friends?"

Still, Ecliptor said nothing.

"Well, I guess I should say _your_ friends. You know, the Rangers. I'm wide open, you know. They must know it, too, that's why you brought me here, so that they would kill me and you wouldn't have to get your hands dirty. So, where are they? Behind a tree, maybe? Under a bridge?"

He held his arms out and turned around, laughing.

"What kind of ambush is this?"

Ecliptor growled and stood up.

"I didn't bring _you_ here at all. I summoned Dark Specter and his forces here. It's incidental that you showed up."

Darkonda laughed once again, surprised.

"Dark Specter? Biting off a little more than we can chew, perhaps? You know as well as I do that those Technicolor children are no match for Dark Specter, any more than you or I are."

"You fool!" Ecliptor snarled. "I summoned Dark Specter in order to prove my and Astronema's loyalty! If he had come himself..."

"Dark Specter has better things to do than waste his time on you two, I assure you. He sent me instead..." he hesitated, and grinned coldly. "Because he assumed you were planning an ambush. Now, am I, and is Dark Specter, wrong about that? Are you, by any chance, still loyal to the United Alliance of Evil?"

Ecliptor turned away.

"Or, more to the point... is Astronema still loyal?"

Ecliptor's silence told Darkonda all he needed to know. He "tsk"ed.

"What a disgrace you are, Ecliptor. I'm glad Dark Specter isn't here to witness this. I am. You're given this child, this clean slate, this creature which will take any form you imprint upon it, and you can't even keep it loyal to our cause for ten years?"

Ecliptor bristled at the insult to Astronema.

"Well, so, tell me, where is she now, and why aren't you with her?"

Silence.

"Oh, I see. You've said too much, I suppose. Well, Ecliptor, you're beginning to wear down what little patience I had. I'm obviously never going to get a straight answer out of you. Mind if I take a guess, then? Just a simple guess as to what's actually happening here?"

He took Ecliptor's silence as assent.

"My guess is simply this: Astronema found out what you did, and she didn't like it. In fact, she probably told you off in some typical fashion; she's loyal to the side of truth and justice now, and you're a part of her past. She's got no more use for you, and you're a threat to her. So, she threw you off the ship. Or, maybe, she got her friends to do that for her. And they're up there now, just waiting to beam down and kill the both of us. Am I right?"

Ecliptor turned to him, his red eyes blazing with fury.

"No."

"Was I even close?"

"No."

"So, Astronema... she's still on our side, then, is she?"

"Yes. And when she finds out about your-"

Darkonda cut him off with a wave of his hand.

"Yes, yes, yes, I'll be put to death for my treachery, no doubt. But, seriously. Why should I believe you, when you'd obviously lie or kill or do anything to protect your position?"

"My position means nothing. Her safety is my only concern."

"And is she safe?"

"I don't know."

"My, my, this certainly is getting interesting, isn't it? Alright, how about if I give you a bit of incentive to get things rolling?"

He turned his back to Ecliptor and laughed.

"Dark Specter wants her dealt with. I don't know what he plans to do, but it's up to me to bring her back. Alive. No doubt he wants to make her suffer."

He turned his head a bit to gauge Ecliptor's reaction. Disappointing so far.

"And if she thinks those Rangers will be able to protect her, she's in for a surprise. I can tell you, though, one way or another, she is out. Out of the picture, out of command. Darn shame, but I guess that's what happens when you turn traitor. I should know, anyway."

He sighed deeply.

"In any event, I've probably said too much. Do anything you want; Dark Specter, surprisingly, couldn't care less whether you're brought back in one piece or not. The irony! Both of us working at cross purposes. Blinded, no doubt, by our devotion to Astronema. Or Karone, or whatever she's calling herself now."

"You will not lay a hand on her," Ecliptor said. "You won't."

"No? You think the Rangers will save her? I can destroy their ship with a single word. Want to see?"

Ecliptor lunged at him, roaring with uncontrollable fury. Darkonda was prepared for this, of course, and he quickly drew his sword.

_See, Dark Specter? Ecliptor attacked me first!_


	31. The Upper Hand

"I'm fine," was all Cassie said. All she really could say, or at least all she could bring herself to say around the mass of bandages in the center of her face. Her red eyes expressed a deep, unrelenting weariness, a weariness which sleep alone would not relieve.

Ashley patted her friend on the shoulder; what else could she do? She was needed elsewhere; the best of her compassion and her thoughtfulness could not change what had happened a few minutes ago, nor could it take that look out of Andros' eyes. That hollow, blank, empty look. But the energy needed to produce that compassion and thoughtfulness was a precious and rapidly waning resource, and she had to choose her battles carefully from here on in.

None of them spoke. The silence had all but come alive; an easily startled creature that hovered around each of them, feeding off their discomfort. Nourishing itself with their sadness and fatigue.

Then, all at once, the doors opened, and the silence took flight like a startled pigeon. For Zhane was there now, and where Zhane was, silence had no place.

"Hey, guys! Miss me?" he asked, his typical carefree, boyish grin illuminating the room and breathing forgotten life into the Rangers.

"Zhane!" Ashley was the first to acknowledge him, a relieved, teary smile on her face. "You're back!" She launched herself into his waiting arms, well aware of Andros' eyes on them, but too starved for comfort to feel guilty or apprehensive.

_We're friends. He's my friend, and I'm so glad to see him._

"Whoa, hey, I wasn't gone that long, was I?" Zhane asked as he returned Ashley's affectionate embrace. "Earth girls, huh, Andros?" he winked at his friend.

"Zhane, what are you doing here?" Andros asked. There was still a bit of strain in his voice, but he managed to smile. He managed to smile because Zhane was across the room and he had not seen Karone yet.

"What am I doing here? I live here!" Zhane groaned, breaking free from Ashley's ever-tightening grasp. "I figured I owed some rent or something."

"Yeah, right. Is everything okay?"

Cassie and TJ had meanwhile gone to greet Zhane, and he didn't answer Andros.

"Cassie, your nose! Is that some new style?" he asked, genuinely curious. Cassie's unique fashion sense had baffled him in the past, and he decided to tread with caution so as not to offend her.

"Yeah, broken noses, they're all the rage these days. Good to see you, man." Cassie managed to stay light and friendly.

"Broken noses? You guys gotta take it easy. Don't the helmets do anything? Good thing I showed up when I did, huh?" he clapped TJ on the back, and the three of them shared an awkward laugh.

"Zhane, is everything okay?" Andros asked again.

"Yeah, everything's great, I'm beat, though. How's it around here, about the same--?"

And the mood was broken. Shattered into more pieces than could ever be put back together.

He saw her. The smile fell from his face, his eyes widened.

"Astronema!" was all he said.

There was more in his expression than shock, and Andros saw it. He saw it, but he did not pursue it. Not yet.

"Zhane," he said quietly, "This... this is Karone. My sister."

Whatever was in Zhane's eyes intensified, and he looked from brother to sister, mouth agape, cheeks reddening.

"Really?" he asked. "Um... wow."

It was an underreaction of almost comical proportions, and Cassie, Ashley and TJ exchanged a glance.

"Your... sister," Zhane continued. "Oh, my god, you found your sister. All... all that time, she was... wow."

"Zhane, do you need to sit down?" Cassie asked. There was a little spark of mischief in her voice, and Ashley rolled her eyes.

"Sit... what? No. Oh, my god. No. I don't need to... Andros, my god, Astronema is your sister."

"She's not Astronema anymore," Andros snapped, his own face reddening. "She's joined us. She's not going back to Dark Specter. Not ever."

The words came in a flood, a shaky, uncontrollable flood, and whatever Zhane had been thinking about before was gone. His full attention was on his best friend now, and he nodded.

"What happened to her?" he asked quietly. "And what about..."

"I'll tell you. I will, but... later."

"But, she's okay?" _You're okay?_ is what he really meant.

Andros' response was a half-nod and a half-shrug.

On the bed, Astronema stirred and gave a little sigh, and Zhane shook his head.

Of course she was Andros' sister. Of course she was. Those eyes. He should have recognized them a mile away. No wonder he had felt so comfortable around her. No wonder! What a fool he was.

* * *

  
And now, Zhane knew. Zhane knew at least as much as the rest of them knew, and now the burden was his to share.

"He did a number on the ship," he said first. "Not very nice of him at all. Andros, if Ecliptor brought you guys here, why haven't you left yet? Don't you think this could all be a trap?"

"Of course I think it could," Andros replied, sipping another cup of coffee. He was visibly shaking now, the caffeine jitters taking him over. He hadn't eaten; couldn't eat. Couldn't drink, not anything but coffee. Stimulants. Liquid energy. Liquid awakeness. Chase away the fatigue. Chase away the ensuing death that lurked around every corner.

Or maybe that was just too much coffee talking.

"Well, I vote for getting the hell out of here, I don't know about you guys--"

"We can't. He's the only one who knows what happened to Ast--Karone," Ashley said, shaking her head.

"Is knowing really that important? She's going to be okay, isn't she? What does it matter what happened to her, so long as you get her out safe? Alive?"

The word "alive" came out sounding much harsher than Zhane intended it to, and the others cringed. Only Andros remained impassive, staring straight ahead.

"I want to know what that bastard did to her. I want to make him pay for it. Once and for all, I want this to be over!"

The room was suddenly very cold.

"Andros," Cassie said. Only Cassie would say it. In that moment, only Cassie would speak in defense, as tentative and reluctant as it was, of Ecliptor. A universally unwanted duty, and it fell to her. Perhaps by default, as she had dealt with him the most. Perhaps for another reason. But it was her obligation, in that moment, to speak for him. "You don't know. We... none of us... we don't know if he..."

"I don't care anymore," Andros replied. "Damn him. We don't owe him anything anymore. We never did!"

He stood up, slamming down the coffee cup.

"Damn him! I want this to be over!"

* * *

And, of course, it was Cassie who followed him. Andros threw her a silent curse over his shoulder, a death glare which should have stopped her in her tracks, had she not been such a stubborn person, with such a keen sense of justice.

Justice. Justice for a murderer, for a kidnapper, for a creature who crushed innocence, purity and beauty under his heels without a second thought. A creature who would not hesitate to destroy all of them.

Cassie was a fool sometimes. A damned fool.

"Andros, I know you're not going to listen to me. I know you already made up your mind--"

"Don't waste your breath, Cassie, come on."

"No! Dammit, Andros, let me get this out! I know that you already made up your mind. I know that, and, I'm with you, Andros. Ninety nine percent of me is right there with you, saying you're right. You're right. He's a monster. He's a bad guy. He deserves whatever you're able to dish out. But there's still one percent, one little tiny percent that's saying..." she shook her head. "That's saying NO. And that one percent... I can't ignore it. I can't ignore how much that bad guy monster means to her. I can't ignore how much she means to him. I can't ignore the fact that he helped us, and we do owe him. Just like we owe her. Think about it, Andros. What has Karone done any differently than he has? They've both done terrible, awful things, but they both saved our lives. Both of them."

Andros shook his head, but before he could speak, Ashley burst out into the hall.

"You guys, Darkonda is down on the planet!"

Cassie and Andros stopped, staring at her.

"Really?" was all Cassie could think of to say.

* * *

The six Rangers congregated on the bridge, apprehensively watching the battle taking place down on the planet's surface. None of them had ever seen such an impassioned, frenzied conflict; it was clear that Ecliptor was operating on sheer rage alone.

"Well, what do we do?" Ashley looked at her teammates.

"Nothing, I suppose," Cassie mused. "Go away and let them fight it out. Might be the answer to all our problems."

She spoke deliberately, her eyes on Andros all the time. The others followed her gaze, and Andros swore under his breath, turned, and wordlessly strode off the bridge.

* * *

If there had ever been a single fact that Ecliptor had made a point to impress upon Astronema, it had been the importance of staying cool, calm, and focused.

The ultimate irony, perhaps, that it was for her sake that he had allowed himself to forget all that?

Indeed, no. The ultimate irony would be if Darkonda should destroy him as a result of his impulsive actions now.

"You never cease to amaze me, Ecliptor," Darkonda shook his head. "Here I come to you in friendship, offering my hand in aid, and what do you do? You attack me like an animal. What is it? A glitch in your programming? I just might have a solution to that problem."

An exchange of blows, and Darkonda still had the energy to laugh. His maddening laugh.

"Though, it might actually be quicker to just destroy you. More rewarding, too. After all, it was self-defense! I had no choice."

Ecliptor roared again and ran directly into Darkonda's outstretched sword. _Did he notice? Did he see it?_ The spray of white-hot sparks blinded them both, and Ecliptor began to feel a strange surge of what could only be described as ecstasy.

An epiphany. He understood now, exactly how she had felt. A passion filled him, an uncontrollable wave of passion.

The searing pain was like magic. As he collapsed to one knee, his head spun. He could have ridden the wave of pain anywhere, done anything; guided, hand in hand, like a child with its guardian. As long as the passion stayed with him, he could have done anything--

He was vaguely aware of his own sword clattering to the ground somewhere behind him, and of Darkonda above him. His infuriating laughter. It had all come down to this, now, hadn't it?

And it made sense! It made sense! He had been unable

_Gravity was so much stronger than it had been a moment ago_

To protect her, to save her in the last, greatest battle of her life

_He's working through Dark Specter, isn't he_

And here was his comeuppance, the retribution for his

_So soon? So soon? I must accept this_

Failure.

And, all at once, this polished certainty was tarnished, and it all went wrong. For there, out of nowhere, was the Red Ranger. There, out of nowhere, was his sword, his drawn sword, and there, out of nowhere, was the end of another of Darkonda's lives.

So quickly.

Normality restored itself quickly. Much more quickly than Ecliptor would have liked; he would have preferred to be senseless for a moment or so longer. But he had been built to exacting specifications and he was not designed for long periods of downtime.

He was aware of everything, now. He was aware of the Red Ranger, still morphed, sword still drawn. Distrustful.

"Why was he here?" the Red Ranger asked by way of a greeting. Demanded.

"The princess. Is she alright?" Ecliptor broke through all pretentions, all plays of formality.

The question was heavy, carrying with it countless implications, countless strings of association. Andros was taken aback. He shouldn't have been, he didn't mean to be, but he was. Damn him.

"She's alright," Andros said. He played with the words, not wanting to test Ecliptor's reaction, not wanting to care about Ecliptor's reaction. Not wanting to see the sense of purpose come back into the cyborg's entire disposition. He would have given anything not to see that. He would have given anything.

"She will live?" Ecliptor asked.

"Yeah. We... yeah."

"Good."

It was all he said, but Andros was well aware of how much was carried in that one word.

"Has she spoken?" was the next thing Ecliptor asked.

"No," Andros said automatically. Things were getting out of hand again, he was giving Ecliptor too many opportunities. Too much information. Too much everything.

But he still had the upper hand. He knew this. It was a petty battle, now, but he had the upper hand. And he would keep it.

"What did you do to her?" he asked steadily. "Why did you bring us here? What happened to her here?"

"I brought her here because she wanted to come."

An easy answer. It rolled out like a carpet, and Andros tried to believe it was a lie. It was instinctive. Ecliptor was lying. Andros believed Ecliptor was lying.

"Why did she want to come?"

"She wanted to know the truth about your parents before she committed herself to a life with you."

An answer with such earnesty behind it that Andros took a step back.

"The truth about our parents? She couldn't have found that here. There are no traces of them left. They evacuated the planet, they didn't leave anything behind. Even our house is--"

"Then you know what became of them?"

"I don't know anything about that. No one does."

Ecliptor said nothing.

"Damn it. What happened here?! What happened to her?" Andros cried.

"She will not stay with you. She cannot. When she is able, she will leave you."

"No, she won't," Andros snapped.

"She will."

"You'll do everything in your power to make sure of that, then?!"

"I won't have to do anything. It will be her decision. She can not stay with you."

"You said that before."

"And it proved to be true, did it not? Know one thing, Red Ranger; she shot herself. With her own staff. I couldn't stop her, nothing could."

Andros' knees all but buckled. Ashley's words came back to him.

_"He scanned it to determine the source of her... what happened to her, Ashley continued. Andros... the blast came from her staff."_

"That isn't true," he whispered. "It isn't-- why would she-- it isn't true--"

"That she survived at all was purely due to my intervention. It was her intention to--"

_No. Damn him. Damn him. Not again_.

"What intervention?" _Oh, damn him. Damn him. Damn him for being there. Damn him..._

"It doesn't matter. She is alive, that is all that is important. Isn't it?"

"She wouldn't do that. She wouldn't. You're lying. You know she wouldn't do that."

"She acted with honor. She believed it was her only course of action. I respect her decision, though as her guardian, I could not allow her to carry it out."

"Carry what out?! God damn it, no, I'm not hearing this. You did something to her."

"No."

"Then why?!"

But Ecliptor would not answer that question. He turned his back to Andros and bent to retrieve his sword.

"Darkonda will be back. As I said, she will leave you as soon as she is able. I am not confident that she will return to Dark Specter, but know that I will continue to faithfully serve her if she should come back. Regardless, you must get her out of here. Make the effort to protect her."

"What--"

"You once said, Red Ranger, that both of us would give our lives for her. I don't know if that is true. I know that without her, I am incomplete. I know that I would give everything to protect her. But would I sacrifice my very existence for her sake? For if I did not exist, I would be without her. I would be working against my own best interests, wouldn't I? And as an evil minion of Dark Specter, it is natural to behave in my own best interests."

Andros only shook his head. Ecliptor continued,

"Therefore, perhaps it is up to you. A noble, good spirit such as yours would not hold its own selfish pursuits above the welfare of another."

Ecliptor was mocking him, and he knew it.

"I would give my life for her," Andros spat. "I've spent the last ten years trying to find her. I love her. I love her more than anything!"

Ecliptor merely shrugged.

"She can't have us both. I'm taking her. I'm taking her away. Away from Dark Specter and... and you," Andros set his jaw. "She can't have us both."

"So it has been decided."

Andros shook his head and let out an exasperated sigh.

"We were willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. You know that, don't you?! We were. You betrayed our trust. We... had no choice."

"Yes."

"But I don't want to have to fight you again, after this."

It was a strange thing for Andros to say, and he knew it. He knew he was putting himself out there, in a vulnerable position. He should have left. He should have teleported back to the ship, but there were Cassie's words, and there was his knowledge that Karone would wake up and she would ask after Ecliptor. He would have to tell her something, after all. He would have to tell her _something_.

"For... for Karone's sake, I don't want to have to fight you after this."

"I can not guarantee anything."

"Yes, you can," Andros hissed. _Why was he saying this. Why was he saying this._ "Yes, you can. Please."

"Goodbye, Red Ranger."

***


	32. Remote

Darkonda returned to the Dark Fortress, but another part of him was irretrievably lost: one of his lives. That made two lives lost in a matter of days. _Was he losing his touch? _

The bridge of the Dark Fortress was just as he had left it, minus Elgar. Darkonda's orders to him, to hold position and be ready to fire, had long been forgotten. Darkonda would deal with him later. For now, he had a report to make.

"Dark Specter, please come in," he requested in his most humble and subservient voice.

Dark Specter appeared on the viewscreen, glowing with rage.

"Darkonda, you have failed!" he roared. "Explain yourself!"

_With pleasure,_ Darkonda thought. He let out a barely audible groan and staggered forward, clutching his shoulder.

"Dark Specter, Ecliptor's message was a trap. He did indeed plan an ambush, but the ambush was for us. I barely escaped with my life! He is a dangerous traitor, Sire. He must be destroyed as soon as--"

"And what of Astronema?"

Darkonda's eyes narrowed. _Dark Specter just wouldn't let that one go, would he? _

"Astronema has elected to stay with the Rangers. She wouldn't even show her face. Apparently she believes the Rangers will now," he snorted, "_Protect_ her. She certainly has turned out to be quite a coward, hasn't she? I recommend that we destroy her and the Rangers before they have a chance to regroup."

Dark Specter said nothing. The seemingly irreversible loss of his top two servants weighed hard upon him, hard upon the entire United Alliance of Evil. Had he had a capacity for introspection, he may have questioned himself and his absolute trust in a brainwashed human child as his vessel.

Instead, he shifted the blame elsewhere.

"Orders, sire?" Darkonda asked, his head bowed. "The Rangers are unaware of our presence. One or two shots, and they'd be--"

"Set a course for Earth," Dark Specter roared.

Darkonda let out a choked gasp, and he stared at Dark Specter in disbelief.

"Dark Specter, we've never been closer to the Rangers. Their ship--"

"Never mind the Rangers now."

"...Pardon?!" Darkonda cried.

"There will be more than enough time to destroy the Rangers, and Astronema, if need be. But for now, they may prove useful. Or, at the very least, entertaining."

"I'm sorry?!"

"As we speak, Darkonda, my armies are working to create the perfect weapon: an indestructable, remote controlled asteroid. When it is completed, I will only need to give the word, and you can place it on an exact collision course with Earth. All life on the planet will be instantly eliminated, unless, of course, our demands are met. And, naturally, if Astronema and the Rangers persist in being stubborn, they will be eliminated alongside the citizens of their precious world."

Darkonda found that he liked what he was hearing.

"It's brilliant! I will do whatever is necessary to ensure the success of your plan, Sire!"

"Excellent," Dark Specter said, "Because I have one more task for you before you go."

"Give the word, and it shall be done!"

"You will go back to KO35 and collect Ecliptor."

"What?!"

"You dare defy me?!" Dark Specter snapped.

"Of course not, Sire, but... Ecliptor... he is a traitor! He set up an ambush! He cannot be trusted!"

"I agree, he cannot be trusted in his current state. However, I have no intention of using him in his current state. He has clearly begun malfunctioning, and he must be repaired. His creators have been working on an upgrade for some time, and untested as it may be, I don't see where we have any choice but to install it. He is too valuable a warrior to let go to waste, and we will require his assistance in getting Astronema back."

Darkonda seethed.

"Getting Astronema back?! You can't be serious! I strongly recommend--"

"I have no use for your recommendations. You will do as I say, or I will find someone else."

"Of... of course. I would expect no... no less," Darkonda shook with a combination of rage and his feeble attempt to contain said rage.

"Darkonda, you have made no secret of how you feel about Astronema and Ecliptor," Dark Specter said with chilling calmness. "But be aware that if you should fail to retrieve them, or if either of them should 'meet with an accident', I will destroy you. I have no patience for your petty contentions. Do as I say, or lose the last of your lives in a manner most unpleasant."

Silence, and then Dark Specter faded from the viewscreen.

Darkonda could not speak for several minutes. KO35 stood before him, as if mocking him. He had to return, he had to subdue Ecliptor, and he had to bring him back to the ship. Alive. In working order.

A Quantron loomed over him, its head cocked curiously.

"If you're waiting for a show of defiance, you'll be waiting a long time," Darkonda snapped. "I've got no choice. I'll get them back, alright, and by the time I'm finished with them, they won't have the capacity to go against anyone ever again!"


End file.
